National Holiday Mayhem


National-Donut-Day-6-6-14I bet you didn’t know today was National Doughnut Day! That’s right. Hope you’ve scouted out the many ways you can score a free doughnut, because they’re going like hot cakes.  Oh, what I’d do for a Dunkin Donuts in Minneapolis…

I’m sure you’re giving this a good ol’ eye-roll – I sure did. But you should know that this day actually has ties to America’s war history, so take it for what it is and just enjoy a doughnut.

Coming from a PR/marketing perspective, I understand the initial dismissal. We’re used to getting a ton of guff for our made-up holidays and special occasions all for the shallow attempts to get your hits, clicks and video views. There have definitely been some winners and losers in this game – many losers. I mean, who doesn’t want to have an entire day dedicated to dancing like a chicken or wait until February 19 to enjoy your favorite treat on National Chocolate Mint Day? Any excuse to create branded content will fly, it seems.

This actually got me thinking – what’s worth celebrating? In all the muck of special days, weeks and months, what kind of silly, made-up holiday would I want to partake in? Life is full of small, cherishable moments that I wouldn’t mind revisiting once a year to truly celebrate what makes life grand. What would those days look like to you? Here are my top ideas, in my own professional opinion. Your thoughts are welcome!

National Go On A Road Trip Day. Highlights of this day include, but are not limited to:

  1. Driving with all the windows down, even though you’re going 70 m.p.h.
  2. Picking up a stranger.
  3. Looking at your quarter-tank of gas and thinking, “Oh, we’ll be fine until the next exit,” even though the next exit isn’t for 50 miles. You find yourself driving down a desolate dirt road with the gas light on, just like how all scary movies begin!

National Watch Chick-Flicks All Night with Your Girlfriends While Eating Junk Food Day. After the age of 15, this doesn’t happen nearly enough for us ladies, if at all. It needs to be celebrated. DVDs, Netflix memberships and cookie dough sales would go through the roof.

National Yell Compliments At Strangers Day. A play on that whole “random acts of kindness” idea by making someone’s day. Tell a stranger they look nice or did a good job. An example would be, “Hey, I really like your sunglasses!” Just extremely loud to ensure they hear you.

National Smize Day. I think it’s about time there’s a day dedicated to celebrate the phenomenon that the lovely Tyra Banks coined while teaching her models how to work it. It will bring selfies to a whole new level.