Please Take My Children to Work Day

Everyone Deserves a Little Time Off

Alice Cooper once sang: “school's out for summer.” Those words are like a heavenly chorus of angels (funny juxtaposition to snake-wielding Cooper, though he seems like a nice guy) to students everywhere; however, for stay at home moms and dads it means no more “me time.” By now most schools have been out for at least a week, so there’s zany holiday Please Take My Children to Work Day for the stay-at-home-parent who is already counting down the days until September.

Homemaking has changed a lot over the past 50 years, but one of the primary roles remains the same: child rearing. A job that is, at time, very stressful. On whacky holiday Please Take My Children to Work Day homemaker men and women see if someone, anyone, whether a spouse, relation, friend or neighbor, will bring their child(ren) to work. Thus giving homemakers extra time to do as they please.

When you’re finally able to pawn your children off to some unsuspecting sap, the fun can really begin! Spend the day at home relaxing; create an in-house spa to unwind (don’t forget the aromatherapy candles!). However, if no one can take the kids for the day there are fun family activities to enjoy! Going out for a picnic (or having an indoor picnic if it’s rainy) and putting together puzzles or playing games are nice, relaxing ways to spend the day!

If the household homemaker can’t find time to enjoy this unique holiday, try to make time during the long not so outrageous holiday weekend (Fourth of July), when your significant other will be around to take the kids for a few hours!

National Paul Bunyan Day

A Whale An Ox of a Holiday

In the western folklore canon, there is one story that’s the tallest tale of them all: the story of 30 foot tall lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his beloved companion, Babe, the Blue Ox! Paul Bunyan possessed skills and speed that far exceeded those of a normal human and because of this he is a commonly celebrated folk hero in the northern states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, etc); however, there is one day of the year when the whole nation celebrates this mythical American figure. That day is today’s zany holiday, National Paul Bunyan Day!

It only makes sense that the hero of a tall tale would be given a whacky holiday! Today’s outrageous holiday’s wackiness is matched only by the outrageous Paul Bunyan stories: Paul cleared the path to the Pacific Ocean, Babe’s hooves created the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota, Paul Bunyan dug Lake Michigan, and he ate 50 pancakes in under a minutes, to name a few!

Celebrate Paul Bunyan day by cooking pancakes, and then having a contest to see who can eat the most in a minute! However, I wouldn’t recommend painting any of your pets blue in honor of Babe.

National Bomb Pop Day

Celebrate Explosive Flavor

The Bomb Pop: a popular patriotic popsicle enjoyed since 1955. This classic is a timeless choice enjoyed on beaches and at barbeques. But if there’s one day to treat yourself to a Bomb Pop it’s the last Thursday of June, which happens to be whacky holiday National Bomb Pop Day!

The Bomb Pop has come a long way since its original inception consisting of three tiers in red (cherry), white (lime) and blue (blue raspberry). The ice pop now comes in an array of flavors so there’s something for everyone’s taste! If you can’t enjoy today’s zany holidays on the beach eating this chilled treats, make sure to grab one from an ice cream truck during lunch or after dinner!

Just be careful when you celebrate this outrageous holiday, you don’t want to end up with a bad case of brain freeze!

National Catfish Day

A Bottom Feeder Holiday

It’s common knowledge that President Ronald Reagan was very fond of jelly beans. But he enjoyed more than just sweet treats, Reagan also liked catfish. Reagan liked catfish so much that on June 25, 1987 he declared it National Catfish Day. A zany holiday that, 21 years later, we’re still celebrating!

Outrageous holiday National Catfish Day was created to celebrate the growth of this finned food’s popularity in America. In 1986, the year before Reagan first celebrated this weird holiday, catfish was the third most commonly consumed fish in the US!

Catfish is low in calories and big in taste; totally worth celebrating! It’s also packed with protein and you can prepare it in numerous ways! Catfish goes well with sauces, and tastes great! It’s understandable that not everyone will want to spend this June holiday down at the watering hole catching catfish. Just make sure you don't let this whacky holiday pass without sampling this delectable dish!

UFO Day

Trust No One

If you believe as fervently as Fox Mulder that “the truth is out there,” then you’ll really appreciate today’s zany holiday! Even if June 24 wasn’t an outrageous holiday it would still certainly hold a special place in the hearts of conspiracy theorists’ every where. Today’s whacky, and slightly paranoid, holiday happens to coincide with the highly publicized and documented 1947 UFO sighting that led to the term “flying saucers.” Not-so-shockingly it’s UFO Day!

Organizers use weird holiday UFO Day to get out information regarding extraterrestrial encounters to sway the public opinion of life beyond our blue planet. The weird holiday also attempts to get the American government to admit that they’ve been covering up the truth that earth has been visited and aliens are real! If you can’t wait for the government to come clean with a statement, look to the stars with some binoculars. Who knows what you’ll see out there!

Celebrate the Senses Day

Stop and Smell the Roses

Taste, touch, scent, sight and sound are the five senses. Five senses that are often taken for granted. That’s why today’s zany holiday wants you to stop and use your senses! It’s unique holiday Celebrate the Senses Day!

Use this outrageous holiday to take the time and appreciate everything you’re capable of perceiving. Listen to the birds, pair your dinner with the perfect wine, watch the sunset and the moon rise, and really breathe in the air around you. Appreciate different textures you run into today, like a smooth granite countertop, or a nice silk scarf. If you have one and want to, you can also celebrate your sixth sense; however, I am not positive how one might celebrate ESP (perhaps a séance?).

Just soak everything in on this whacky holiday, and remember to be thankful for what you have!

Summer Solstice

No more teachers, no more books

Today’s zany holiday is one everyone in the Northern Hemisphere gets to celebrate! It’s the Summer Solstice or better known as the First Day of Summer! Summer Solstice refers to the specific day when “Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes,” according to Wikipedia. Today is the longest day of the year for those of us north of the equator and ushers in summer vacation, ice cream and increasingly warm weather!

Google is celebrating this outrageous holiday with a Summer Solstice Logo. You can celebrate today by soaking up the warm weather and sun. Have a picnic, do some gardening or go to the beach! Don’t worry if you aren’t able to celebrate this whacky holiday today. There are three months worth of hazy, summer days to look forward to!

Important, however, don’t forget to wear sunscreen!

Take Your Dog to Work Day

A "Fetch" Holiday

Today’s zany holiday, is literally, going to the dogs. But that doesn’t mean this outrageous holiday is about to be ruined, unless you have allergies, because today is all about your dog! It is Take Your Dog to Work Day! Today, many offices open their doors to more than just their bipedal regulars and allow our furry, four-legged friends in too (as long as the dog is well-behaved and good around other people). The brain-child of Pet Sitters International, unique holiday Take your Dog to Work Day was first celebrated in 1999 and has grown in popularity since then. The holiday hopes to inspire dog-less coworkers who witness the human-dog fellowship to adopt their own companion from a shelter or rescue center where, due to limited space, many shelter animals are euthanized!

Make sure your office is prepared for the coming canines. Keep some dog treats and food on hand, and don’t forget feeding and water bowls! Perhaps have some fun and celebrate this whack holiday with an office dog competition (cutest, quietest, friendliest etc) complete with awards!

And to the dogs out there, reading over their human’s shoulder, woof!

Enjoy the extra time you get to spend with your companion today!

Recess at Work Day

For the Kid in All of Us

Today must be super outrageous, because we’re serving up another zany holidays for all our readers! Zany Holiday’s blog realized, thanks to Tim Richardson’s blog, that World Sauntering Day isn’t the only whacky holiday on June 19. It’s also Recess at Work Day!

Outrageous holiday Recess at Work Day seeks to promote employee wellness; recess has many positive effects, improving alertness and overall satisfaction, amongst other things. Recapture the health from your youthful days on the blacktop, jump rope and paddleball, depending on how much space you have! Of course, you could always utilize recess as a nap time! It’s up to you to decide what keeps you well and keeps you happy! Have fun on this funny holiday!

World Saunter Day

Can you Walk the Walk?

Oh you can tell by the way I use my walk, it’s World Sauntering Day, no time to talk. Music loud and June holidays warm. I’ve been celebrating zany holidays since I was born. That’s right, guys, pull out the leisure suits; ladies get your platforms ready. It’s National Sauntering Day! This outrageous holiday began as a publicity stunt back in the 1970s by Public Relations director W.T. Rabe (creator of several other zany holidays, like Unicorn Questing Month).

If you’re not sure how to saunter, don’t worry, it’s not hard! Sauntering is a cool, collected swagger; to stroll, unworried, confident and at a leisurely pace. Walking with nowhere to go and with little concern! If you’re still unsure, play something groovy to walk to on your iPod or MP3 player, and keep beat with the music. Saunter wherever you go on this whacky holiday!

National Splurge Day

There's no such thing as a free lunch, but there are guilt free lunches

No one disagree that times are a little tough right now. Even the economic elite are feeling the pinch (I know what you're thinking: "quel dommage!"). Luckily, for those who have been careful or frugal over the past few months, there’s a whacky holiday where they can get away with an indulgence or two. That day is today, zany holiday National Splurge Day.

Perhaps splurging is something as small as a nice four dollar cup of coffee or piece of chocolate to something as excessive as buying a Rolls Royce. However you want to indulge there is no time like the present. You deserve something nice and you deserve it guilt free! So be sure to savor this hedonistic day, because this outrageous holiday only comes once a year!

Eat Your Vegetables Day

You're not leaving this site until you finish your vegetables!

It’s a little ironic that zany holiday Eat Your Vegetables Day occurs during National Candy Month. One guess as to which one people prefer to celebrate! However, whichever you prefer to celebrate today is the day to celebrate vegetables, specifically eating them! The USDA recommends that vegetables are eaten everyday; a good habit that some of use sometimes ignore! Luckily that’s why we have Ear Your Vegetables Day, to remind us of the importance of forging nutritious eating habits!

Why not use today to forge that new, nutritious path. Kick off your new lifestyle with veggies. Eat a vegetable at every meal today, eat veggies for snacks! It’s the perfect time to learn about health portions, healthy eating and healthy choices! Maybe you’ll find that you like spinach a lot more than you recall! So get cookin’ on this Zany Holiday; and remember kids, Ketchup doesn’t count!

Bloomsday

'Joyce' to the World!

Re-Joyce cause June is in Full Bloom! The perfect time of year for Bloomsday, the zany holiday celebrating Ireland’s acclaimed author, James Joyce. Bloomsday, celebrated every June 16^th since 1954, gets its name from the protagonist in Joyce’s novel Ulysses, Leopold Bloom. Fans of Joyce celebrate Bloomsday by visiting Dublin landmarks featured in the influential modernist novel.

However, if wearing late-Edwardian threads isn’t your thing and you cannot make it to Davy Byrnes Pub in Dublin to celebrate, enjoy this zany holiday at your own home or favorite pub. Start the day off with an Irish breakfast; make sure to have a glass of burgundy and some gorgonzola! Of course, you can always pick up Ulysses (or another Joyce book) and read on Bloomsday!

Friday the 13th

Very Superstitious

Having a bad day? Feeling Unlucky? Riddled with anxiety? Well, considering it’s Friday the 13^th, you’re probably not the only one feeling that way. Friday the 13^th is a cause of minor trepidation and uncertainty for some, but for others Friday the 13^th means altering daily routines, and in extreme cases refusing to leave the house or even get out of bed. Friggatriskaidekaphobia, as the phobia is called, affects people in numerous Anglophone, Francophone and Portuguese speaking nations, and Western European countries where Friday the 13^th is widely held as the unluckiest of unlucky days. It also happens to be today’s zany holiday, though superstitious holiday might be a better description.

What makes Friday the 13^th so unlucky? The legend’s origins aren’t really clear, but the number 13’s negative connotation is an old one. Despite the joy that comes with the end of the work week, Friday also has bad reputation. So bad number + bad day= EXTREMELY UNLUCKY BAD DAY. If you believe in that sort of stuff, anyway. If you are the superstitious type, keep good luck charms on hand, four leaf clovers, lucky bamboo plants, and rabbits’ feet; and look out for black cats, ladders, mirrors and opening up umbrellas inside. Good luck, and don’t worry this is the only Friday the 13^th of 2008, so you get through this you’re good for the rest of the year!

National Turkey Lovers Month

Gobble Gobble

Turkey. The gravy, the taste… the Tryptophan. What’s not to love? While turkey is frequently associated with November in the Unites States, Turkey Lovers’ Month is in June. Weird, right! That’s why it’s today’s zany holiday!

While you might get to bask in the holiday glow of a 15 lbs turkey the fourth Thursday of every November, the month of June offers you the same option—except for more than a day. In fact, there are so many days to celebrate you'll have enough time to eat all the leftovers from a 15 lb turkey.

30 days of turkey might get monotonous, though. And the turkey would probably go bad before the end of those 30 days. However, turkey is essential to celebrating this month, so make sure you have a baster to cook and enough salt and pepper to season! Enjoy!

Superman Week

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

In the sky…it’s a bird; it’s a plane--NO! It’s zany holiday Superman Week; a whole week in honor of Metropolis’ best known resident, Superman, to celebrate his contributions to keeping the streets crime free (and bringing entertainment to many).

Heroes like Superman are celebrated because of their superhuman feats and abilities, but remember being a hero doesn’t mean grandiose acts: flying, laser eyes, super strength…you get the picture, but rather just doing good, being kind and setting a positive example! So be a hero yourself, imprint an emblem of your choice on a plain shirt (or perhaps several, you’re bound to get a little dirty) and you’re ready to go. You might want to invest in a stress ball too, heroics can be stressful! Just make sure you don’t give anyone kryptonite when celebrating this zany holiday.

Mourn for Your Money Day

Beware of the Ides of April

While this might not be the happiest zany holiday, it is pretty weird, and definitely the creation of a fiscal conservative: Mourn for Your Money Day. Today you can mourn that money withheld in your paycheck that goes towards taxes.

The second step in the grief process is anger, which a lot of people tend to get angry when they get their paychecks and see just how much is being withheld for tax. Make sure to keep something handy around, like a stress ball, so when pay day comes around you can take your anger out on that as opposed to an unassuming temp (or the newel post).

National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

savory spring holiday

Sweet and sour on a late-spring evening (after you’ve finished your dinner of course) is zany holiday National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day! Rhubarb season ends just as strawberry season begins, so strawberry rhubarb pie is made with the season’s last rhubarb and first strawberries.

Make sure when celebrating this wacky holiday you have all the supplies necessary for some superior baking; rubber spatulas, aprons, and oven mitts, to name a few items. And also important is you make enough for at least two; strawberry rhubarb pie is very popular throughout the United States, so you’re sure to find people who will want to celebrate this zany holiday with you!

National Yo-Yo Day

Not a "Sleeper" Holiday

The yo-yo is certainly not a new creation; the famous toy has been around for nearly 3 millennia, popular in ancient Chinese, Greek and Filipino culture. The yo-yo as we know it was introduced in the early 1900s by Donald F. Duncan, Sr., born on this very day. Coincidence; I think not!

The best way to celebrate National Yo-Yo Day is with a yo-yo (Duh)! There are numerous types of yo-yos; they come in different shapes, sizes, some even light up! So celebrate this zany holiday by showing off a few tricks you pick up, such as walking the dog, around the world, or split the atom.

National Candy Month

The Sweetest Month

Rejoice all you sweet-toothed readers, June is National Candy Month. There’s no better time to indulge to your cravings. Regardless of your preference, be it chocolate or gummi bears, treat yourself this month but make sure to do so wisely!

National Candy Month is one zany holiday other people will want to celebrate with you! Send some chocolate to cocoa connoisseurs. And for your friends who aren’t so crazy about chocolate, jelly beans offer flavor variety! There are so many different types of candy you’ll be sure to find something for everyone, that way you can all celebrate National Candy Month!

National Iced Tea Month

Endlessly Delicious Possibilities

It only makes sense that June, with its increasingly hot and humid days, would be National Iced Tea Month! Iced Tea is a very popular drink in America, and comes in an array of different types and flavors. Iced tea options are endless, from the Southern favorite Sweet Tea, to golf legend Arnold Palmer’s eponymous drink of choice, to healthy iced green tea.

Staying healthy and hydrated at outdoor summer events is important, making upcoming picnics, barbeques or golf outing, some of the perfect place to stay cool and celebrate this zany holiday with some freshly brewed Iced Tea.

Google Balloon Day - Anniversary of Public Hot-Air Balloon Demonstration

Visitors to Google's homepage today will notice a new logo with a hot air balloon. The special logo is to commemorate the first public demonstration of hot-air balloons by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. The flight lasted a mere 10 minutes, but its success set the stage for the first manned flight, 6 months later in November.


While flying leisurely in a ballon might be fine for some, I'm personally waiting for them to perfect the flying car and jetpack so I can live out my fantasies of playing real-life Starseige Tribes. Unfortunately, given the rate of progress in those technologies, I'll probably have to find the Fountain of Youth to see that dream realized. But hey...at least I still have a promotional hot-air balloon to entertain myself with while I wait.

"Do It Yourself" Marketing Month

Hi, my name is (what?), my name is (who?)...

Today's zany holiday is a little less zany, but a little more practical - and it's all about YOU! June is entrepreneur's "do it yourself" marketing month. I'm not talking about "do it yourself" as in constructing furniture you buy from Ikea; celebrate this month by practicing and improving your word of mouth and personal networking skills!

Marketing is all about standing out above the clutter, so take active steps to build good business relationships and solid marketing techniques. Whether it's a follow-up phone call or a simple "thank you" card, the small things count this month! Make your impression on other people and simultaneously build your business - how's that for zany?

Yell "FUDGE" at the Cobras in North America Day

Death by Chocolate?

Just in time for the latest Indiana Jones film is zany holiday Yell “FUDGE” at the Cobras in North America Day. Indy would be glad to know that you’re doing your part to keep North America free of Cobras by yelling fudge at noon, and successfully keeping those venomous snakes south of the Panama Canal.

Why fudge, you might ask? Because cobras hate fudge! Feed a cobra fudge and it will gag. Say the word fudge and cobras will high-tail it out of there! Celebrate the day by cooking some fudge! And rest assured that no cobras will be bothering you anytime soon!