Do You Celebrate Fake Holidays?

I got an email note this weekend about the "National Day of Encouragement".. the message was from a greeting card company and included an invitation to send a free e-card to encourage someone. On the surface this seemed to be a nice thing to do until I get to their website and am inundated with advertisements and come ons. I started thinking about these "holidays" and began to wonder how many of these "days" we have on the calendar - here is a list of the US "days" for this year:
  • Jan 1 - New Year's Day
  • Jan 18 - Martin Luther King Day
  • Feb 1 - National Freedom Day 
  • Feb 14 - Chinese New Year
  • Feb 14 - Valentine's Day
  • Feb 15 - Presidents' Day
  • Feb 16 - Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras 
  • Feb 17 - Ash Wednesday
  • Mar 30 - First day of Passover 
  • Apr 2 - Good Friday
  • Apr 4 - Easter Sunday 
  • Apr 6 - Last day of Passover
  • Apr 15 - Tax Day 
  • May 1 - Law Day 
  • May 1 - Loyalty Day 
  • May 6 - National Day of Prayer
  • May 9 - Mother's Day
  • May 14 - Kansas Bob Day
  • May 15 - Armed Forces Day 
  • May 15 - Peace Officers Memorial Day 
  • May 21 - National Defense Transportation Day 
  • May 22 - National Maritime Day
  • May 31 - Memorial Day
  • Jun 20 - Father's Day
  • Jul 4 - Independence Day
  • Jul 25 - Parents' Day
  • Aug 11 - Ramadan begins
  • Aug 19 - National Aviation Day
  • Sep 6 - Labor Day
  • Sep 9 - Rosh Hashana
  • Sep 10  - End of Ramadan
  • Sep 11 - Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day 
  • Sep 11 - Patriot Day 
  • Sep 12 - National Grandparents Day
  • Sep 12 - National Day of Encouragement
  • Sep 17 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day 
  • Sep 17 - National POW/MIA Recognition Day 
  • Sep 18 - Yom Kippur
  • Sep 19 - International Talk Like a Pirate Day
  • Sep 26 - Gold Star Mother's Day
  • Sep 29 - National Coffee Day
  • Oct 4 - Child Health Day
  • Oct 11 - Columbus Day
  • Oct 15 - White Cane Safety Day
  • Oct 31 - Halloween
  • Nov 2 - Election Day
  • Nov 11 - Veterans Day
  • Nov 25 - Thanksgiving Day
  • Dec 7 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 
  • Dec 17 - Pan American Aviation Day 
  • Dec 17 - Wright Brothers Day
  • Dec 24 - Christmas Eve
  • Dec 25 - Christmas Day
  • Dec 31 - New Year's Eve
I lost count - over 50 "days" on the list.. and I did not list the first days of the seasons or Daylight Savings Time. What would we do if all of those days were legitimate holidays? Methinks I would never get any snail mail.. and bank employees would be at the beach all of the time.. but KC based Hallmark Cards would have so many more opportunities to peddle their beautiful enveloped folded cardboard gems - wonder what would the card look like for "Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day"?

Did I miss your favorite "day"? Did you see the bogus "day" that I added to the list?
How many of these "days" do you consider "fake" holidays? How many do you celebrate?
How many would you expect an employer to give you time off to celebrate?
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14 comments:

  1. JasonSeptember 14, 2010 at 9:45:00 AM CDT

    Bob, you're missing the PREFERRED holiday for Spoiled for the Ordinary:

    September 19
    International Talk Like a Pirate Day

    Please consider this in your esteemed list!

    ;)

    Jason

    ReplyDelete
  2. stephanieSeptember 14, 2010 at 9:49:00 AM CDT

    nobagel no bagel nobagel nobagel nobagel

    Sorry. Couldn't resist. the second I saw that picture I hear Kramer's voice in my head.

    I do wish we had a legit holiday in between New Years and Memorial Day. Since businesses don't give off for Good Friday or Easter, there is nothing in there to take off. That's a lot of time without some kind of break. But then again, most companies now only observe 11 or those holidays.

    Personally, looking from your list, I think having Tax Day and Election Day off would be a really nice. Just because of the significance of both days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MissySeptember 14, 2010 at 10:56:00 AM CDT

    I defintitely will add that special holiday to May 14th on my calendar. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. kc bobSeptember 14, 2010 at 11:53:00 AM CDT

    @Jason - Aaargh! How did I forget that? I added to the list!

    @Stephanie - Loved that episode! AT&T gave us Good Friday off.. I think that it was a holiday that the union selected.. so politically incorrect!

    @Missy - Much appreciated. Maybe if enough people add to their calendars I can declare it a "National" or "international" day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. crownringSeptember 14, 2010 at 1:56:00 PM CDT

    Ya missed one, Bob!

    Appreciate a Dragon Day is January 16th.

    http://www.furriesonline.com/dragonday/

    Actually I might celebrate it in 2011 since I appreciate the Christian author who started it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ed G.September 14, 2010 at 2:28:00 PM CDT

    As long as you have festivus (which falls on my dad's birthday) i am a happy camper.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ed G.September 14, 2010 at 2:33:00 PM CDT

    Also, you forgot to list all of the holy days of obligation, including: Ascension Thursday (6/2/11), Assumption of Mary (8/15), All Saints Day (11/1) and Immaculate Conception (12/8).

    It was great as a kid going to Catholic school because the day after Halloween was always a holiday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. kc bobSeptember 14, 2010 at 2:40:00 PM CDT

    @CR - Never heard of that one! :)

    @Ed - How did I ever forget All Saints Day?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gregg MetcalfSeptember 14, 2010 at 5:17:00 PM CDT

    When I was working I would take any paid holiday they wanted to give me. Since the Scriptures state that each man should have his own convictions, one day is no different than another, and that I am not bound by seasons or times, the "holiday" I think we celebrate anymore is Thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  10. LynneSeptember 15, 2010 at 1:26:00 AM CDT

    In Australia, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, christmas Day and Boxing Day are public holidays. Then we have Australia day (26th jan -- when the first fleet arrived in Sydney), Anzac Day (25th April -- our remembrance day)Queen's birthday (2nd Monday in june) and labour Day (1st monday in October).

    ReplyDelete
  11. kc bobSeptember 15, 2010 at 4:36:00 PM CDT

    @Gregg - Thanksgiving is one of my favorites too.

    @Lynne - Thanks for those additions from down under!

    ReplyDelete
  12. kc bobSeptember 16, 2010 at 5:52:00 PM CDT

    I was shocked today when I looked at my calendar and saw that National Coffee Day is on the 29th. I added it to my list.. how could I not?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ed G.September 24, 2010 at 10:01:00 AM CDT

    One more for you list, Bob. Today is National Punctuation Day!

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/09/24/national.punctuation.day/index.html?hpt=C2

    ReplyDelete
  14. kc bobSeptember 24, 2010 at 10:22:00 AM CDT

    How did I ever miss that one Ed?

    ReplyDelete

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