The Day of Nothing (and Fig Newtons)

Rea,

Did you know that today was National Nothing Day? But wait - it’s also National Fig Newton Day! And just two days ago was National Pastrami Sandwich Day. How can one day be for nothing and something at the same time? Let me tell you the story about how holidays get made.

Once upon a time, only Congress and the President could declare national observances. They saved these for important things like Veterans Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Sometimes they’d declare fun ones too - in 1984, President Reagan even made National Ice Cream Day official!

But then people started creating their own celebrations without asking permission. In 1995, someone invented “Talk Like a Pirate Day” as a joke with his friends. When a famous writer discovered it, suddenly thousands of people were saying “Arrr!” every September 19th.

Companies caught on too. Oreo didn’t ask Congress before declaring National Oreo Day on March 6th - they just announced it. Soon everyone was sharing cookie pictures and debating whether to twist them apart or eat them whole.

Then in 2013, a guy in North Dakota named Marlo Anderson started a website called the National Day Calendar to keep track of all these celebrations. Nobody put him in charge - he just thought it would be fun. Now everyone checks his site to see what to celebrate, even though he’s just a regular person who decided to make a list! His site gets over 20,000 requests each year for new special days, but they only approve about 30.

That’s how we ended up with today’s odd mix: National Nothing Day (created by a columnist who thought we had too many special days) sharing space with National Fig Newton Day. It’s like how our family celebrates National Dog Bite Day - not because anyone official declared it, but because it helps us remember how brave you were and how you kept loving dogs even after getting bitten.

These quirky holidays show us something special about people - sometimes the best traditions aren’t the official ones, but the ones that start with someone simply asking “Wouldn’t it be fun if…?”

Love, Abba

P.S. If you could create any national day, what would it be? Maybe National Nervecited Day for when you’re nervous and excited at the same time? Just remember - you might have to share your day with National Nothing Day!