Keeping Up with the Mail
The truth is I used to be on top of all the special days and events occurring in the lives of my dear family and friends. I sent birthday cards, condolence cards, miss you cards, cards from the cat, mother's day cards, father's day cards and anniversary cards. And when my Daddy Mack {Grandpa} became ill I sent him a card, letter or postcard everyday for months on end.
This means that I bought cards, filled them with sentiment, sealed and addressed them, stamped them AND mailed them. These days, it's quite an accomplishment if I EVER get that done for anyone! It may not seem that difficult to do, but if it involves getting extra postage or having to go buy stamps before mailing then odds are it will sit here waiting to journey across the country to that special person for quite a while.
It's not that we've gotten lazy around here, but the calendar pages and to-do lists have been filled with a million more things than my pre-kid, pre-self-employed self had to do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. I feel bad about sending my brother's birthday card 2 months late, but I congratulate myself for getting it sent at all. My standards have certainly fallen, but that's alright because I'm doing the best I can right now {at least that's what I keep telling myself}.
And while I've been busy and barely getting Mother's Day cards {some of the most important of the year} out to our dear moms and grandmas, the calendar has been gaining holidays and honorary special mentions left and right. I will never get caught up now! Does anyone know if there's a card for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day?
April, the Month of an Awful Lot
Did you know that April is:
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National Stress Awareness Month;
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National Poetry Month;
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National Child Abuse Prevention Month;
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Autism Awareness Month;
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International Guitar Month;
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Keep America Beautiful Month;
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National Frog Month;
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National Kite Month;
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Financial Literacy Month;
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California Earthquake Preparedness Month;
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National Garden Month;
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National Humor Month;
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National Parkinson's Awareness Month;
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Zoo and Aquarium Month;
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National Volunteer Month; and
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National Mathematics Education Month?
Did you celebrate and/or bring awareness to all of those causes? No? Me neither. I was aware that April is designated as the official observance for several of these organizations or issues, but I was surprised to find just how many.
April is also full of week-long celebrations and specially designated days. The week long observances include: National Library Week (10-16), U.S. National Park Service Week (17-23) & Week of the Young Child (the Third Week of April). If you don't have a month or week to spend observing these causes, perhaps you are interested in one of the 35 special days so designated in April: April Fool's Day, Find-A-Rainbow Day, National Read a Road Map Day, No Housework Day {oops, I celebrate that on most days}, National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day, & National Eggs Benedict Day to name a few! And this doesn't even count the list of firsts, anniversaries, birthdays are actually holidays listed in April.
Just in case you're wondering, today is Hug a Friend Day & National Pretzel Day {take your pick or celebrate both by hugging your friend and giving her a pretzel}, but don't forget to mark your calendar for Tell a Story Day on Wednesday and Take Your Daughter to Work Day on Friday and the list goes on. I'm really not making this up.
A Day for Everything
April is not alone in this onslaught of special day, week and month long commemorative events. Nope, most months have on average 10 official "unofficial holidays" on the calendar. Don't fret if you've missed out on observing, celebrating and bringing awareness to the 16 causes assigned to April. There are 17 causes listed for the month of May.
So, how does an organization go about getting a day, week or month designated as a commemorative holiday? Well, there are a couple of routes to getting a cause close to your heart or wallet a day or even month of its own. Well, of course, the chosen date will more than likely already be taken by another worthy commemorative event. So your day will have to share, but it's the thought that counts, right?
How to Get Piece of the Pie, Other than February {National Pie Month}
When it comes down to it, it's a matter of money for the most part. There are basically three approaches:
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Hire a lobbyist to get the ball rolling and round up a few senators or representatives to rally behind your cause and have Congress vote on a resolution officially naming your commemorative event on a certain date. This approach takes money, of course. Lobbyists don't work for free;
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If you have a particularly important, apolitical and popular cause that senators and representatives can easily get on board with like "stop cancer" or "celebrate peace" then you can skip the high cost lobbyists and go straight for the official resolution; or
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Forget about getting an "official" nod from Congress, if you have enough money or media attention, or both, you can simply designate a certain date or month as "Save the Cupcakes" or whatever your cause is and launch a public relations and marketing campaign aimed at achieving whatever awareness, celebration or observance you intend. Now it helps to have a large budget and a proficient PR firm behind you, but it's worth a shot if you feel strongly about a particular subject.
Publicity Stunt or Pure Intentions?
Does it do any good if few people, if any, realize what day or week or month it is and remember to do something to bring about awareness, celebrate or promote your special interest? Does anyone care that October is National Pizza Month? How many of you went to get your free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream on April 12th, designated as Free Cone Day by Ben & Jerry's?
I found two articles albeit dated, that provide a fascinating look at the elaborate and successful PR campaigns promoting a cause, company or product by assigning a commemorative date; one focused specifically on food holidays. Also interesting is the list of Commemorative Events and Holiday Bills that have been introduced and/or passed by the Senate, the House or both this legislative session.
The Scoop
There are a few "holidays" on the horizon to watch for in May: Law Day on May 1st, Mother's Day on May 8th and don't forget to take flowers to your child's child care provider on May 6th {National Child Care Provider's Day}. You can celebrate designated "holidays" the whole month of May by eating strawberries, hamburgers, bar-b-que, eggs, asparagus and salad. Here's a list of all of May’s Commemorative Events with links to other months. Silly, important or both? You be the judge! Over and out...
Anna
You might also like:
Crossing the Line: Stalking Awareness Month
Examining My Roots: The Gift for Gab and Celebrating Law Day
What fun reading this is! But I am a little dizzy! It's hard enough trying to keep up with the "classic" holidays!
Posted by: TLM | Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 09:27 PM
Wish I could hug you today on National Hug a Friend Day! ;)
Posted by: Heidi David | Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 08:39 AM