Special Days In January
I hope you glean a lot of ideas from all that is occurring
during January. Here are a few thoughts about some of the days.
Eye Care Month – Make an appointment to see the optometrist.
Donate some old eyeglasses to the Lions Club. Go to www.lionsclub.org to find the nearest
donation location.
Donate blood.
Make soup for a neighbor, co-workers or family and friends.
Write thank you notes to people who have had an impact on
your life.
Make oatmeal cookies and give some away.
Have a trivia party.
Find a reason to compliment others National Compliment Day,
January 24.
Put together a puzzle with friends or family on January 29,
National Puzzle Day.
There are many things you can make and lots of party themes,
too.
MONTH LONG OBSERVANCES
Eye Care Month
Hot Tea Month
National Blood Donor Month
National Hobby Month
National Soup Month
National Staying Healthy Month
National Thank You Month
Oatmeal Month
DAILY OBSERVANCES
January 1 – New Year’s Day
Betsy Ross’s birthday in
1752
Ellis Island opened in 1892
Paul Revere’s Birthday in 1735
January 2 – Drinking Straw Patented in 1888
January 4 – Trivia Day
January 5 – National Bird Day
January 6 – Cuddle Up Day
Epiphany
Sherlock Holmes’ Birthday
January 8 – Bubble Bath Day
Elvis’s
Birthday in 1935
January 12 – Work Harder Day
January 13 – Poetry Break Day
January 14 – National Dress Up Your Pet Day
January 15 – Hat Day
January 17 – Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday
January 18 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, born in 1929
Thesaurus
Day
Winnie the
Pooh Day
January 19 – Popcorn Day
January 20 – Cheese Day
January 21 – National Hugging Day
January 22 – National Blonde Brownie Day
January 23 – National Handwriting Day
National Pie
Day
January 24 – Compliment Day
Eskimo Pie
patented in 1922
Gold
discovered in California in 1828
January 25 – Opposite Day
January 26 – Australia Day
January 27 – Chocolate Cake Day
National
Holocaust Memorial Day in UK
January 28 – Ernie’s Birthday (Sesame Street Character)
National Fun at
Work Day
January 29 – National Puzzle Day
January 30 – Franklin D. Roosevelt’s birthday in 1882
January 31 – Backwards Day
Jackie
Robinson’s Birthday born in 1919
Taken from www.holidayinsights.com
www.familycrafts.about.com
PLAN AHEAD! Special Dates in February
February 2 – Groundhog Day
February 2 – National Change your Windshield Wiper Day
February 12 – Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14 – Valentine’s Day
February 17 – Random Acts of Kindness Day
February 18 – President’s Day
February 22 – George Washington’s Birthday
February 24 – Mardi Gras
February 25 – Ash Wednesday
Epiphany
The Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the three kings
presenting their gifts to the baby Jesus. They saw him as a king and gave him
kingly gifts. Perhaps you could enact it with your children. Dress them up and
do a presentation for others or just for you.
Another thought is to bring three gifts to someone you did
not give to or that you do not know. They do not have to be expensive, but put
a little thought into it.
Ask people to dress in 50’s attire. You could have an Elvis and Priscilla look-a-like contest. Be sure to put it on the invitation.
Decorations
Have pictures of Elvis, guitars, old album covers, records, jukebox, and themes from his old movies, like “Blue Hawaii”.
Food
Include any of Elvis’ favorite foods on the menu….pork chops, meatloaf, steak, fresh vegetables, creamed potatoes, cheeseburgers, milkshakes, and fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches
Games
For prizes give an Elvis DVD or CD.
Play name that Elvis tune. Have the group listen to a line or two of an Elvis song and name the song.
Play an Elvis trivia game. (see below)
Have a 50’s dance contest.
Have prizes for an Elvis or Priscilla look-a-like contest.
Favors
Make a CD of popular Elvis music.
Make candy or cookies in the shape of a guitar and put them in clear cellophane bags.
ELVIS TRIVIA GAME
QUESTIONS
1. What general did Elvis have high regard for?
2. What was Elvis’ after shave of choice?
3. What did Elvis have a statue collection of?
4. What was one of Elvis’ favorite books to read?
5. What were Elvis’ two favorite sports?
6. What is Elvis’ top movie?
7. What was Elvis’ first number one hit?
8. Where was Elvis born?
9. What branch of the service did Elvis join in 1958?
10. What is the name of Elvis’ only child?
11. What was Elvis’ wife’s name?
12. Who were Elvis’ favorite actors?
13. What movie was Ann Margaret Elvis’ co-star?
14. Elvis received two Grammy Awards for Gospel Music for what song?
15. What was Elvis’ favorite class in high school?
16. What was the first ever musical video of all time?
17. How much did Elvis weigh when he died?
18. How man movies did Elvis make?
19. What was Elvis’ last top 20 hit?
20. What positive character quality was Elvis known for?
ANSWERS
1. General Mac Arthur
2. Brut
3. Venus de Milo & Joan of Arc
4. The Bible
5. Football and Racquetball
6. Jailhouse Rock
7. ‘Heartbreak Hotel”
8. Tupelo, Mississippi
9. The Army
10. Lisa Marie
11. Priscilla
12. Marlon Brando and James Dean
13. Viva Las Vegas
14. “How Great Thou Art”
15. Woodshop
16. ‘Jailhouse Rock”
17. 260 pounds
18. 31 movies
19. “Burning Love”
20. being generous
CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY ON JANUARY 15
Have soul food. Get a video of his famous speech ‘I Have a Dream” and watch it.
Sing Old gospel songs.
Ask guests to dress in summer clothes.
BBQ if possible. Serve summertime food.
Play indoor renditions of summer games. If balls are needed, use Nerf or other lightweight balls.
Put blankets on the floor for eating, like you’re at a picnic.
Decorate with lawn chairs, macaroni shells, make suns out of yellow construction paper or poster board.
CELEBRATE AUSTRALIA DAY ON JANUARY 26
Decorations
Australian flag, boomerangs, surfboards, kangaroos, koala bears, crocodiles, dingos, great white sharks, bottle nose dolphins, cuckatoo, parrots, platypus, Tasmanian devil and other wildlife. Some plant life would include eucalyptus, orchids and bird of paradise.
Food
Lamingtons, pavlova, Anzac biscuits, damper, soldier’s cake, macadamia nuts, lamb chops, potato salad Autralian style, yabbie (prawn) fettuccine to name a few. Don’t forget the Australian Barbie or BBQ as we call it in America.
Food
Serve hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows.
Make chili and soup with warm cornbread and whole grain bread.
Make S'mores
Decorations
Make fake snow with cotton balls, create paper snowflakes.
Have a fire going.
Games
Have a snowman making contest using cotton balls or Styrofoam balls. Also give the contestants options of other materials to decorate the snowmen with like….raisins, small buttons, construction paper, nuts, straw, toothpicks and anything else you can think of. You’ll need glue, too. Have judges determine the best looking snowman and have a prize.
Divide into teams and have them make snowball mounds with cottonballs or Styrofoam balls. Take turns using spoons to carry the balls to the place they should make their pile. The first team to have everyone place a ball on the mound wins.
Make a live snowman. Divide into as many teams as you like. Have 3-5 people on a team. Give each team a roll of toilet paper, a hat, gloves, scarf, pipe, carrot and broom. They should wrap one person with the toilet paper. When the entire roll is used they can place the other items on their human “Frosty”. The team who finishes first wins.
Centerpiece Ideas
• Decorate with winter gloves, scarves, hats, and even boots (clean them first).
Arrange them on the table. You could stuff them with tissue to have more shape.
• White candles and votives will set a peaceful mood.
• Floating candles in a bowl of clear or colored water.
• Boots with flowers in them.
• Candles on top of mirrors
• Baby’s breath and ferns strewn on the table
• Baskets with nuts, nutcrackers, small whole fruit
• Shorts vases or bowls with cut up winter fruit and water
• Baskets with bread and muffins and a decorative ribbon