Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Crossword Puzzle Day: It’s time to play a brain game & stimulate your mind
If the holidays have you down-and-out and just plain stressed out, no worries. It’s time to play a game! Those unwrapped presents can wait. It’s time to get out the pencil, put on your thinking cap and de-stress a little. Dec. 21 is Crossword Puzzle Day, an annual occasion that celebrates crossword puzzles, the entertaining and often challenging word game played around the world. Legend has it that Arthur Wynne “invented” crossword puzzles decades ago. While he created puzzle
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Winter is here: Winter solstice marks shortest day & longest night of the year
With Christmas just days away, another special day of the year is here. Today marks the end of a season. While the days are shorter and the temperatures are colder, autumn is officially o-v-e-r. It’s the Winter Solstice, an annual event that occurs in the Northern Hemisphere between Dec. 21 and Dec. 23. Today is the shortest day, and the longest night, of the entire year. Many Americans will only get about nine hours of daylight today. But folks in Alaska will only enjoy abou
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Happy Humbug Day: Not!
With Christmas just days away, many people are feeling the stress of the holidays! While yesterday was all about singing joyful Christmas carols, today is another day altogether! For all you Oscars, Scrooges and Grinches out there, today may just be your (un)lucky day! Dec. 21 is Humbug Day! This annual “holiday” was created by the folks at Wellcat in an effort to let everyone vent their frustrations and blow off some holiday steam! But according to the rules, a person is on
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Happy Go Caroling Day: Spread holiday cheer with the sounds of Christmas
If you need a little help getting in the holiday spirit, you’re in luck. Dec. 20 is all about the sounds of music. While the origins are unknown, it’s Go Caroling Day, an annual holiday that celebrates caroling. While not as popular as it once was, folks have been spreading holiday cheer by caroling for centuries. Saint Francis of Assisi is credited as the person who began the Christmas caroling tradition back in the 1200s. Instead of singing solemn hymns during the holidays,
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
National Sangria Day: Cheers!
If you need a little something extra to get in the holiday “spirit,” go grab a glass! Dec. 20 is not only Go Caroling Day, but it's National Sangria Day, too! Derived from the Spanish word “sangre”, which means blood, sangria is a delicious chilled beverage containing a variety of ingredients including all sorts of fruit, honey, red or white wine, brandy and/or liqueur. Although this holiday comes smack dab in the middle of the winter, this refreshing drink is guaranteed to
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Happy Holly Day!
‘Tis the season – the holiday season, that is. Dec. 19 is Holly Day, an annual occasion created by the Queen of Holidays, Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, that celebrates, well, holly. With Christmas just days away, one of the most recognizable Christmas decorations is a flowering plant in the Aquifoliaceae family, a group of about 400 species of shrubs and trees belonging to the genus, Ilex, commonly referred to as Holly. The fruit of the holly, often referred to as berries, range
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Bake Cookies Day
If your sweet tooth is aching for a sweet treat to eat, go grab your apron! Just in time for the holidays, today is Bake Cookies Day! Whether you celebrate Christmas,Hanukkah or Kwanza, nothing quite says the holidays like a delicious batch of homemade cookies baking in the oven. While the origins of this annual “holiday” are unknown, Bake Cookies Day is celebrated every Dec. 18. And you don't need to be an experienced chef or decorator extraordinaire to bake cookies either.
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Happy National Maple Syrup Day
If you love the rich taste of maple syrup, you’re in luck. December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day. Sweeet! While the origins of this annual food holiday are unknown, maple syrup has been enjoyed since Native American’s “invented” the syrup centuries ago. It’s all in the Sap Made from the sap of the maple tree, it takes between 30 and 50 gallons of the sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup. It takes about 40 years before maple trees can be “tapped” and only healthy tre
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
If your sweet tooth is screaming for a little sweet treat to eat, you’re in luck! December 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day! This annual food holiday, which falls smack dab between Thanksgiving and Christmas, has been celebrated for quite some time. Legend has it that a small town in Minnesota first celebrated the annual event eons ago. Whether it’s a piece of ooey gooey milk chocolate, a heapin' helpin' of chocolate pie, one or two chocolate-covered cherries, an
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Cat Herders Day: : Have you ‘herd’ the news?
Have you 'herd' the news? Dec. 15 is Cat Herders Day in the U.S.A! Despite its name, this annual “holiday” is not really about fabulous felines. Created by the folks at, well, Wellcat, today is actually about tackling a task, problem or job that seems nearly impossible or exceptionally complicated – like herding cats. And with the holidays right around the corner, even the most mundane task may seen overwhelming. Between buying and wrapping all those gifts, decorating the i
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Mmmm - It's National Cupcake Day, cupcake!
While many people are busy baking cookies for the holidays, December 15 is all about cupcakes. It’s National Cupcake Day in the U.S.A! While its origins are unknown, Americans have been gobbling up these sweet treats since the 19th century. Just how popular are cupcakes? Besides National Cupcake Day, which is celebrated today and/or in August, there is also a National Chocolate Cupcake Day, too! Today is also Cat Herders Day. Now you really can have your (cup)cake and eat it
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Mmmmm - It's National Cocoa Day
Get out the marshmallows, folks! If your taste buds have been screaming for a sweet, chocolaty treat, go grab your mug. Today is one of the sweetest days in the entire year. Dec. 13 is National Cocoa Day, an annual holiday that celebrates, well, cocoa. Just in case you need a little incentive to indulge, besides tasting great, cocoa is good for you, too. The antioxidant concentration in hot cocoa is nearly twice as strong as it is in red wine, according to a study conducted a
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
National Ice Cream Day Scoop
Here's the scoop! If you’ve got a hankerin’ for something sweet to eat, get ready to get your scream on! December 13 is National Ice Cream Day! Yep, this cool and creamy food holiday is so popular, it’s celebrated twice a year. National Ice Cream Day is celebrated during the steamy summer month of July and smack dab in the middle of December! It just goes to show you that ice cream is the perfect treat to eat any time of the year! Whether you prefer to lick it, dip it or eat
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Gingerbread House Day
While the origins of this fun “holiday” are unknown, Dec. 12 is Gingerbread House Day! Just in time for the holidays, today is the perfect opportunity to get your creativity on and build yourself a fabulous gingerbread house! Elaborate or simple, big or small, nothing gets the little ones into the holiday spirit like building and designing their very own homemade home! Usually comprised of delicious gingerbread and decorated with colorful candies and icing, gingerbread houses
Jace Shoemaker-Galloway
Poinsettia Day: The colorful plant associated with the holiday season
Dec. 12 is not only Gingerbread House Day and National Ding-a-ling-Day, it also celebrates a beautiful plant often associated with the Christmas holiday season. It's Poinsettia Day, an annual holiday that not only celebrates a colorful plant but also commemorates the death of American botanist, physician and the first United States Minister to Mexico. In 1828, Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett noticed a beautiful shrub along the road in the Mexican countryside. He took some cuttings
