CELEBRATE

January 11th, Milk Day

It is generally thought that Milk Day was created to celebrate the first time milk was delivered in glass bottles. Prior to this, conditions for milk delivery were fairly unsanitary but the new bottles enabled safe and clean storage. However, Milk Day soon grew to be a day dedicated to all aspects of milk. Many schoolchildren are encouraged to take part in Milk Day so that they start the good habit of drinking milk from a young age. They can also learn about the various ways milk can be used to create different foods like cheese. Trips to a local dairy are a good place to learn new facts about the process and many farms often encourage educational visits on this day.

December 25th, Pumpkin Pie Day

Pumpkin Pie Day celebrates the humble pumpkin pie, a national favourite in the USA. Pumpkin pie is a traditional North American sweet dessert, eaten during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and featured also at Halloween. The pie consists of a pumpkin-based custard, ranging in colour from orange to brown, baked in a single pie shell, rarely with a top crust. The pie is generally flavoured with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. This pie is often made from canned pumpkin or packaged pumpkin pie filling (spices included); this is a seasonal product available in bakeries and grocery stores, although it is possible to find year-round. Adapted from daysoftheyear website.

September 25th, Dream Day

It is time to sit back and relax and enjoy Dream Day! But do not use it as an excuse to slip back into bed – Dream Day was set up by an instructor at Columbia University in 2012 as a way of helping us all achieve our dreams and to make the world a better place. You can organise a special dream event, where a gang of you get together and talk about your dreams, or you can stay at home and dream of what you most want from life. We are talking more about ‘achieve my full potential’ and ‘end world hunger’ here, not ‘lose 10lbs’ or ‘get revenge on my boss’! Come up with an inspiring dream, then work out an action plan to make it happen, and to help everyone else achieve their dreams too. It is so simple, and there lies its beauty: All you have to do is… dream!

February 17th , Random Acts of Kindness Day

Sometimes it’s the smallest act that makes the biggest impact. Something as simple as saying please or thank you can turn a day around and make a life seem that much better. Random Acts of Kindness Day encourages you to get out there and be the light you want to see in the world. Random Acts Of Kindness Day was first created in Denver, Colorado in 1995, and nine years later it spread to New Zealand in 2004. Random Acts of Kindness can include just about anything, including something as simple as taking a tray of muffins to work. The idea behind this holiday is to make the world a better place by spreading a little light around.