This is National Make Up Your Own Holiday Day!

By now you probably have noticed that there is a holiday for just about every day of the year. There are holidays to celebrate food, animals, people, and events. Here are a few you have already missed: Happy Mew Year Day for Cats (January 2); Answer Your Cat’s Question Day (January 22); or Stop Bad Service Day (March 7). But you still have time to mark your calendar for the following: Cow Appreciation Day (July 14); Raspberries and Cream Day (August 7); Elephant Appreciation Day (September 22); even Eat a Red Apple Day (December 1).

Now to be sure, the majority of holidays mark significant events, such as birthdays, national milestones, and other important celebrations. In fact, holidays have been around a long time. (Take a look at tomorrow’s entry to see one really ancient celebration.) After God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, he gave them a whole list of holidays and festivals to celebrate and observe. These holidays reminded the people of God’s great miracles and helped them remember what God had done for them.

That’s not a bad place to start when creating your own holiday. Begin with God and how he has cared for you and your family. Maybe you can celebrate “Dad’s New Job Day,” or “We’re All Healthy, Thank You Very Much Day.” Or maybe it’s time to throw a party because it’s, “I Have a New Friend Day” or “God Keeps Me Safe Day.” Once you think about it, there are probably are as many ways as days in a month—make that in a year—to celebrate God’s goodness and care for you.

So go ahead. Create your own holiday. Celebrate “National Fig Day” if you want. Just start your celebration with thanks to God.

We praise you, Lord, for all your glorious power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.(Psalm 21:13).

To Do

Plan a family celebration today for your special holiday. Make decorations. Plan at least one activity or game to go along with your celebration. Then have fun!

Also on this day . . .

1953—Dr. Jonas Salk announced the discovery of a new vaccine that would prevent polio.

1958—Donald Duck co-hosted the Academy Awards.

1982—Ground breaking ceremonies were held in Washington, DC, for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.