National Laugh and Get Rich Day.
National Eat Your Vegetables Day.
National Don’t Make Your Bed Day.
I wake up to something different every day, a new addition to the ever-growing list of niche holidays that I can’t stop hearing about. At first, they’re fun – National Donut Day, National Ice Cream Day, and National Compliment Day all bring me a sense of joy. But others? They’re bizarre – National Wear Your Socks Day, National Cat Herder Day and National Go Caroling Day are all too much for me.
As the list goes progressively longer, I can’t help but wonder: where do we draw the line between a ridiculous holiday and one that has meaning?
There are 16 “National Mini Holidays” during the week of Christmas, ranging from National Date Nut Bread day to National Whiners Day. Last year, there were only 11 mini holidays during the week of Christmas. That’s a noticeable difference, with five additional holidays being added last year.
The fact remains that most of these “National Holidays” are in fact no way national as Congress only has the authority to establish federal holidays, which makes it difficult to distinguish between holidays with real significance and those that are just made up. According to Business Insider’s article, many of these so-called holidays are created by companies and brands to promote their products. For example, National Rotisserie Chicken Day was introduced by Boston Market to encourage rotisserie chicken sales. Websites like the National Day Calendar take the quirky and weird holidays they see being promoted on social media and declare them as a “National Holiday,” while also making up their own holidays.
When is it time to set down the calendar and question what we’re really celebrating? National Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day may be funny, but does it really deserve a place next to meaningful holidays like Veterans Day or Remembrance Day?
The answer to this is quite simple; it doesn’t.
Instead of celebrating everything we can, it’s time to refocus our attention on the holidays with real meaning.
Like Thanksgiving.
Like New Year’s.
