Maybe it’s got something to do with the weather (which at least is better here in South Florida than it is in most of the rest of the country right now). The month of February has most people thinking about Valentine’s Day, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but there are a lot of other holidays this month, some officially recognized, some not.
First off, the entire month is designed American Heart Month, An Affair to Remember Month, Black History Month, Canned Food Month, Creative Romance Month, Great American Pie Month, National Cherry Month (those two seem to go together!), National Children’s Dental Health Month, National Grapefruit Month and National Weddings Month. The third week in February is International Flirting Week, which following on the heels of Valentine’s Day at least keeps romance alive.
February 1 is National Freedom Day, the 2nd is Ground Hog Day and Candlemas. The 3rd is The Day the Music Died (Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash in 1959). The 4th is Thank a Mailman Day and the 5th is National Weatherman’s Day (both occupations need some love). February 8th is Boy Scout Day and Kite Flying Day (with snow?) February 12th is Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, the 14th is National Organ Donor Day (which falling on Valentine’s Day when people give their hearts to others, romantically at least, is oddly appropriate).
February 16th is President’s Day, which resulted from combining Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays to free up a national holiday. Ash Wednesday is the 18th. The 19th is Chinese New Year (it’s the Year of the Sheep) and also National Chocolate Mint Day.
George Washington’s Birthday is February 22nd, as is International World Thinking Day. The 23rd is both International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day and Tennis Day, followed by National Tortilla Chip Day on the 24th and National Pistachio Day on the 26th. Polar Bear Day is the 27th and Floral Display Day is the 28th. Since this isn’t a Leap Year there is no February 29th Leap Day, but there will be next year.
There are even more “special days” than we could mention here. Thank goodness the majority of them don’t affect work, banking or mail delivery, or else we could just forget about Valentine’s cards and boxes of chocolates!
Thought of the Day:
If the road is easy, you’re likely going the wrong way
— Terry Goodkind
Gary Alan Ruse contributed to this column.
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