December 17th - Holidays and Observances

(click on the day for details)

• Christian feast day:
  • Daniel the Prophet
  • Josep Manyanet i Vives
  • Lazarus of Bethany (local commemoration in Cuba)
  • O Sapientia
  • Olympias the Deaconess
  • Wivina
  • Sturm
  • December 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Accession Day (Bahrain)
• International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
• Kurdish Flag Day (Global Kurdish population)
• National Day (Bhutan)
• Pan American Aviation Day (United States)
• Wright Brothers Day, a United States federal observance by Presidential proclamation

 

Observances (click on the day or week for details)

National Maple Syrup Day

 

Fun Observances ( 2 )

Underdog Day

Underdog Day is celebrated every year on the third Friday of December.

This unofficial holiday owes its name to the term “underdog” popularly used in sports and competitions and refers to someone who is popularly expected to lose.

All of us know of someone who works very hard but never gets recognized for their hard work. In addition, they are usually expected to fail in their efforts. Maybe, you have been in a situation like that? Celebrate all such underdogs and unsung heroes on Underdog Day.

How to Celebrate?

• Remember that it is sometimes ok to be an underdog. It may be frustrating sometimes, but when underdogs win, they tend to upset the expected order of things.
• If you know of an underdog, tell them to persevere on.
• If you feel you are an underdog, work harder and shatter everyone’s expectations.
• Watch the American animated series, Underdog. The series, which aired on NBC in the 1960s, detailed the adventures of Underdog, a superhero who spoke in rhyming verse and wore a caped costume.

Did You Know…

…that the opposite of an underdog is a top dog and in if an underdog wins in a competition, the outcome of the event is known as an upset.

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Ugly Sweater Day

The third Friday of December is Ugly Sweater Day.

On this day, get in the holiday spirit and flaunt those ugly holiday sweaters (thanks, Grandma!) you have been too embarrassed to wear in public. In many countries, the holiday is associated with fundraising events for children’s charity.

A similar holiday, Christmas Jumper Day, is celebrated every year as part of a fun raising event by Save the Children, a not for profit organization. In 2017, it is on December 15 as well.

How to Celebrate?

• Take that ugly sweater out and wear it in public, chances are, you won’t be the only one wearing the Rudolph sweater grandma made for you ten years ago.
• Don’t have an ugly sweater? Make one of your own. Bedazzle an old or thrifted sweater, add embroidered holiday motifs and some sequins, and voila, you are ready for Ugly Sweater Day.
• Host an ugly sweater party. Have your guests contribute to charity and hold an ugly sweater competition. The person flaunting the ugliest sweater goes home with the top prize.

Did You Know...

...that the word cardigan, which is a type of sweater that is open from the front, comes from James Thomas Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan? The English general was thought to have worn such as sweater while leading a cavalry charge at Balaclava in 1854.

 

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Q: What's A Snowman's Favorite Breakfast?

A: Frosted Flakes!

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A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.

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Q: Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber?

A: It needed to be trimmed.

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On New Year’s Eve, I’ll join my friends to toast the days ahead. We’ll all stay up until it’s late, then eat a tasty spread. At midnight, though, I might just wish that I were home instead, sleeping very peacefully in my warm, cozy bed.

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Just before Easter I remarked to my husband that, with the children grown and away from home, this was the first year that we hadn't dyed eggs and had an Easter-egg hunt.

"That's all right, honey," he said. "We can just hide each other's vitamin pills."

 

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sandrewn