Last week I mentioned that February had a goodly number of days designated for the observance of specific events, some of which are observed nationally; others barely mentioned. I’d never heard of many of these special days until I started exploring Google.
You’d have to throw at least two parties a week in order to celebrate all the things the month of February has been designated for. It is known as; American Heart Month, Black History Month, Canned Food Month, Dog Training Month, Friendship Month, Great American Pie Month, National Bake for Family Fun Month, and Library Month.
In addition to being designated as a special month, February has many days and some weeks set aside to celebrate chaplains, bubble gum, missing persons, women physicians, carrot cake, the day the music died and a special day to wear red. National and world observances include; National Drink Wine Day, National Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day, National Battery Day, World Typing Day, International Mother Language Day, National Almond Day, World Whale Day, Pluto Day, National Chocolate Mint Day and, of course, Groundhog Day. There are even special times to celebrate Real Bread Week, Engineers Week, International Pancake Day and Susan B. Anthony Day.
I learned that there is a whole week of special days leading up to Valentine’s Day. These are Rose Day, Propose Day, Chocolate Day, Teddy Day (it isn’t clear whether this refers to cuddly bear toys or provocative lingerie – take your pick.) Then come Promise Day, Kiss Day, Hug Day and finally Valentine’s Day. The day after Valentine’s Day has been set aside as Singles Awareness Day, followed by World Human Spirit Day.
All these are just special days in the month of February – think of all the other special days, both serious and frivolous, there are during the rest of the year. Think of all the great party themes that are available to help you plan a special meal or get-together with family or friends. You could have a lively dog-show type party with judges and prizes, inviting all your friends and their pets. Just don’t try to have such a party in your living room, find a suitable animal-friendly venue such as a barn or at least a fenced-in area. It might be better to throw a children’s party with toy dogs or other stuffed animals; you could award prizes for best-behaved, largest, smallest, cutest, shaggiest, most colorful, longest ears, shortest tail, etc. Just make sure that each child receives an award for their “dog.”
International Pancake Day seems like a perfect theme for a winter brunch with two or three distinctly different kinds of pancakes and a variety of syrups, fruit and other toppings to choose from. Guests could be asked to bring copies of their favorite pancake recipe to share. And since you’re celebrating Pancake Day, you needn’t feel obligated to furnish bacon, sausage, ham, or eggs – this is about pancakes. A big pot of coffee is enough to go with them and the garnishes.
National Drink Wine Day is a natural when it comes to party themes. A simple buffet to help guests soak up the wine before they head toward home is a must. It could be a learning experience as well as fun to make sure the guest list includes someone knowledgeable about wines if you aren’t. And it’s a good idea to lay in a supply of small disposable glasses rather than using your best crystal wine glasses. Small glasses would make it possible for guests to sample several different kinds of wine without over-indulging. And you don’t want to have to be washing all those delicate wineglasses the next morning when your head is a little fuzzy from enjoying your own party a bit too much.
My personal choice for a party theme would be either Ice Cream for Breakfast or National Chocolate Day, and I’m leaning heavily toward chocolate. I don’t need an excuse to eat ice cream and chocolate works at any time of day. Maybe I’ll just celebrate chocolate day by myself. I can’t wait to find out just how many different kinds of chocolate there are.