Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to December 31, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate memorable wines and forgettable songs. Nothing says celebration like a good champagne, and while the genuine article comes only from the Champagne region of France, there are plenty of good bubbly wines from California and Italy. Prices vary widely, and if you’ve ever wondered why bottles of Dom Peringnon fetch up to $50...

Welcome to December 30, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the power of pork and other ordinary ingredients. If you’ve ever made a volcano at home then you already know the magic of bicarbonate of soda. In 2017 the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry decided to make the world’s largest baking soda volcano to best the record of an elementary school in the U.K. OMSI’s volcano wa...

Welcome to December 29, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate making the most of the final countdown and a National soup for the soul. It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to say goodbye to 2021. Most of us look forward to the end of the year, with the promise of a new year just around the corner. But before we break out the party hats and noisemakers, there are still a few...

Welcome to December 28, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the humble beginnings of some of our favorite pastimes. When you watch the Academy Awards, are you tempted to go grab some popcorn as they announce the winners in the Short Film category? Then perhaps you'll be interested to know that we owe a huge thanks to a short film called “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory,” whic...

Welcome to December 27, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate being nutty as a fruitcake and starting something new. The holiday cheer may be fading fast but one treat is still alive and celebrating: the fruitcake. That’s because they are built to last. In the early 1700s these dense cakes were baked during harvest time and loaded with nuts and fruits. But they were saved until the...

Welcome to December 26th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the flavor of the season and etiquette for everyone. Peppermint sticks have been around for at least 200 years, but the red and white striped candy cane that we all associate with Christmas did not actually appear until 1900. Many folklore tales describe the symbolism behind this iconic treat which was made by hand unt...

Welcome to December 25, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the windy road of Christmas and the most punderful time of the year. While Christmas enjoys popularity throughout the world today, its traditions have fluctuated widely. In medieval times, the birth of Jesus Christ was a solemn observance with very little feasting or singing. The Renaissance gave rise to the gift giving,...

Welcome to December 24, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate clearing up the mystery behind two holiday favorites. You may be scratching your head as to how eggnog its name and which came first, the egg or the nog? It turns out that alcohol was once served in carved wooden mugs called noggins. In the middle ages a drink known as posset was made with milk, spices, and alcohol and s...

Welcome to December 23, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a festivus for the rest of us and festive recycling. Reader’s Digest author Daniel O’Keefe created a new holiday tradition of “Airing Family Grievances” that was first celebrated in 1966. Today we celebrate this “Festivus for the rest of us,” largely due to the popularity of a Seinfeld episode that was written by O’Keefe...

Welcome to December 22, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a dynamic duo and a happy retirement for the old jalopy. If you’re already burnt out on holiday goodies why not try something healthy and delicious by celebrating National Date Nut Bread Day? Dates have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt, and are prized for their sticky, caramel swe...

Welcome to December 21, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate vacation sweet spots and turning your holiday frown upside down. If you want to catch the sunrise before anyone else in the United States, pack your bags and head to Maine. Specifically the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. This building was constructed in 1858 and is at the easternmost point of the country. That means it see...

Welcome to December 20, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate festive drinks and songs that stick. If you’re a fan of sangria then you already know how festive this drink can be. Pour some red or white wine into a pitcher with fruits and some seasonal spices and you’ll see why the Spanish welcome this libation all year round. It is said that sangria originated in early Greek and Ro...

Welcome to December 19, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate gifts that keep on giving and candies that go the distance. Anna: Hey Marlo, you’re a numbers guy. If someone gave you all the gifts from the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, do you know how many total gifts would you end up with? Marlo: Y’know, I’ve never even thought of that. Anna: You would have 364 items in total,...

Welcome to December 18, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we honor our heroes and celebrate amazing pairs. In 1992 a wreath company in Harrington, Maine found themselves with a surplus of holiday wreaths and their founder, Morrill Worcester decided to donate them to Arlington cemetery, a place he had visited as a boy. As he laid the extra wreaths upon the grave sites, he thought of his own...

Welcome to December 17, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the tradition of poor taste and nature’s sweet bounty. While many traditions uphold the beauty and magic of Christmas some are just plain weird. Behold, the ugly Christmas sweater! No one is 100 percent sure how this became a holiday thing, but tacky sweaters can trace their popularity back to 1980s TV comedies. It start...

Welcome to December 16, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate saving your sanity and cocoa mania. Sometimes being popular is a hazard of the job! But it's hard to argue with success when you’re found in over 150 countries. I’m talking of course about Barbie. More than a billion Barbie dolls have been sold around the world thanks to extensive advertising and decades of popularity. A...

Welcome to December 15, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate impossible jobs and inalienable rights. Have you heard the expression; “It’s like herding cats?” This refers to a job that’s so tedious it requires the patience of a saint: Kindergarten teacher, wildlife photographer, sound engineer. Marlo, did you let a cat in the studio? Because John can totally add that in later. If y...

Welcome to December 14, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate an inspiring State and monkeying around. When the crew of the Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon, Americans looked on with a sense of awe—and immense pride. And probably no one more so than the people of Alabama. Scientists and engineers in the Cotton State developed rockets for the space program using technology acquire...

Welcome to December 13, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the convenience of cocoa and fancy fiddles. Thousands of years ago the process of making hot chocolate was long and tedious. Aztecs roasted the fruit of the cacao tree and ground it with water, chilies and even corn. They didn’t understand the health benefits, but they knew it packed a punch, and soldiers drank several c...

Welcome to December 12, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the humble beginnings of two holiday favorites. The first gingerbread was often used in religious ceremonies thanks to the Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis. In 992 AD, he taught French Christians the art of molding his favorite food into the figures of saints. But when the Brothers Grimm told the tale of Hansel and Gr...

Welcome to December 11, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate one of our favorite ways to beat the odds and the little things that keep us connected. This month recognizes the birthday of one of America’s favorite games: Bingo. While it seems pretty straight forward, the game is far more complicated than you might think. It’s estimated that there are over 500 septillion combination...

Welcome to December 10, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate with a toast to Summer and those who change the world. If you are already chasing the midwinter blues, raise your spirits with a light Summer beer: the lager. Lagers are distinguished from other beers by their cold-conditioning process. They are made with “bottom-fermenting” yeast that can develop at colder temperatures....

Welcome to December 9, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the success of the underdog. Traditional clowns wore white makeup, with red noses and cheeks, and pointy hats. During the Great Depression, a clown named Emmett Kelly changed that image. People were down on their luck and while they wanted to be entertained, the usual clown shtick didn’t seem relatable. That’s when Kelly’...

Welcome to December 8, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate dessert on the go and glitches in time. They say that necessity is the mother of invention and that appears to be the case for our favorite combination of cookie and cake: the brownie. Legend has it that Bertha Palmer wanted a special dessert that would fit neatly into a boxed lunch for her socialite friends attending the...

Welcome to December 7, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a state that stays cozy and remember the day that will live in infamy. There are plenty of things you can see during a typical Chicago winter. Ice skating at Maggie Daley Park…People walking on Lake Michigan…Train tracks being set on fire. Seriously. Chicago winters can get very cold. Cold enough to affect the operation o...