The Importance of Special Days
Like the saying “there’s an association for everything,” there is also a specially designated day for everyone! I often talk about how December is a month-long holiday including everything from religious observances to solstices to “national” days of all kinds. Most of us don’t get to take an entire month off but it is a month of special days that we can learn about and celebrate.
The first half of December, according to National Day Calendar, celebrated or acknowledged pies, apples, art, mutts, fritters, faux furs, bartenders, cookies, socks, ninjas (NOT making that up), sacher torte, gazpacho, miners, pawnbrokers, cotton candy, Christmas cards, pastries, salespersons, the Dewey Decimal System, lager, human rights, the Nobel Prize, apps, gingerbread, poinsettias, violins, cocoa, and horses. And please note this is not an exhaustive list!
Many of the days are acknowledging favorite foods, but some people we should take a moment to remember in December are Rosa Parks, the spark that ignited the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and St. Nicholas, who was the inspiration for the story of Santa Claus and reminds us of the spirit of giving. Also, this month we remember Pearl Harbor 1941 when a surprise attack on the US Navy led us into World War II.
And this is just the first two weeks of December!
The rest of the month leads us to the “big” holidays many people look forward to like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. While those are related to religion, we can all celebrate the New Year with celebrations both quiet and loud on New Year’s Eve as we look forward to what can be in the next 12 months.
So why are special days important?
In my opinion, special days are important because they remind us of things to be aware of, grateful for, and the connections we have to the world around us. Whether it is food, animals, solstices, or religious holidays (okay, even ninjas) we need to take a moment to reflect on what is important in our lives, and what connects us as human beings.
Most of us enjoy or like similar things whether it’s books, food, activities, or animals (or even ninjas). When strangers meet, they begin by asking about each other and then finding the places of connection: “do you have kids? Me too! Do you like dogs? Me too! Do you like chocolate? Me too! Do you like ninjas? Me neither! But they somehow got an International Day of Recognition . . .”
In a fractured world showing more cracks by the day, shouldn’t we remind ourselves of how much we have in common and share our hopes and dreams for the future of humanity?
