When every July 4 rolls around we usually celebrate with hot dogs, barbeques, and fireworks. When the leaves begin changing colors and our google cals inform us that it’s already November, we can’t forget Thanksgiving, of course, with delicious turkey (or tofurkey), stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Then there’s December which is marked by bright colorful lights, Christmas Trees (and don’t forget the menorahs!), beautifully wrapped presents (well, not all of us have mastered that skill), and repetitive supermarket carols. The pink and red roses and gushy Hallmark cards make up February (and usually the entire month of February there’s Valentine’s Day chocolate on sale). But what if you could create your OWN holiday, what kind of day would you want observed? Listen up collegiettes™, March 26 is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, so here’s your chance to create an especially-made-for-you day! Maybe you want a day where you can escape to a get-away island and it wouldn’t cost you a single cent, or a guilt-free day where you could get away with not going to work or school and not feel guilty about it (that’s what my holiday would be!). HC asked for your opinion and these were the holidays some of you suggested. And, hey, you never know, maybe your holiday could appear on next year’s calendar. (We’re kind of half-serious.)
- “I would create a Bucket List Day and people would do something they’ve always wanted to do!” -Amelia Jimenez, Emerson College
- “I have my own holiday. The holiday is in the eye of the beholder. Seize the day, if not your own.” -Jesse Shepherd, New England Tech
- “I would want a College Day. Everyone wears school colors, gets free food (and alcohol). It would be a big outdoor festival with music.” – Clint Campbell, University of Texas
- “How about a Squirrel Appreciation Day. They’re the cutest animals of life with their epically bushy tails, and little climbing monsters. They can fit a crazy amount of nuts in their mouth. YouTube it if you don’t believe me.” – Lauren Golden, University of Connecticut
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“National Shopaholic Day. Everything is a dollar.” – Rosemary Venditti, Nichols College
- “U Chicago No Finals Week. That would be a dream come true.” – Lynda Lopez, University of Chicago
- “The Official Mental Health Day. We all take them when we need them. Why not make an official day when we all are required just to stay home for some me-time? The world would definitely be a better place.” – Nikki Roberti, Appalachian State University
- “I would create National Cupcake Day where everyone would have to create their own kind of cupcake and then share it with others.” – Cady Lang, Ithaca College
- “National Tea Time! I love tea and would love nothing more than to dress up and sit on a pretty patio sipping strawberry tea and eating delicious cupcakes!” – Bernice Chuang, UT Austin
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“National Chocolate Giveaway Day. Every store you go to would give you chocolate. It would be like Halloween, but for adults. I would create this holiday because what girl doesn’t like chocolate?” – Katie Corrado, Fordham University - “Perfect Weather Day. Because everyone LOVES those days when it’s not too hot, not too cold and when it’s sunny and beautiful outside!” – Laura Baugh, Virginia Tech
- “Do Nothing ‘Cause I Have My Period Day (Or Week). Every girl knows that having your period makes your feel like crap! Your clothes don’t fit, you have to go to the bathroom too many times to count and your mood is just all over the place. Therefore, it’s best for everyone to have a few days off when they get their period!” – Kelsey, WVU
- “I would create Appreciate Your Intern Day where every company celebrates their interns with cakes and balloons. Each employee thanks their intern for all of their hard work, and shares their personal intern experience. The best part is the holiday would fall on the first Thursday of every April, and the interns have off that Friday!” – Patrice Bendig, St. John’s University
- “Bruce Springsteen Day. Every highway would be called ‘Thunder Road’ for a day and people would make pilgrimages to New Jersey.” – Jesse Williams, UConn
- “Unlimited Free Sushi & Frozen Yogurt Day!” – Windsor Hanger, Harvard 2010
- “Homeless Day. Everyone goes out and does something to help out the homeless.” – Daniel Cohen, University of Illinois
- “Eat Anything You Want All Day and Don’t Count the Calories Day” and “Girl Scout Cookie Day!” – Taylor Trudon, UConn
After reading everyone’s responses, I decided that I wanted to come up with a few days I would want observed. So here are, in no particular order, my top four picks if I could create my own holiday.
- Love Your Best Friend Day. This would be a day where everyone goes out and celebrates their best friend. Of course you can have more than just one best friend, so all the best friends can go out to a party or go see a movie or grab a meal and a few drinks and thank each other for always being best buds! (Of course, like Valentine’s Day, you should appreciate and love your best friends every day.)
- Dress Up Like Your Favorite Disney Princess Day. Whether you want to wear a sequin bikini top like Miss Ariel or wear a glamorous gold gown like Belle, this day would be dedicated to your favorite Walt Disney princesses. Dress like them (maybe even talk or sing like them) and then pretend that one day your prince will come too (if he hasn’t already).
- Celebrate Your Pet(s) Day. If you’re anything like me, you’re obsessed with your pets. I love coming back home to Connecticut and seeing my dog, Sandy, and trust me, she’s just as happy to see me, too. And, of course, my cat is always there to listen to me when no one else is home. So, today would be a day where your pets get recognized. You have to give them special treatment, walk that extra mile with them, and take them to the pet store. (I know my dog loves the trip to the pet store because she gets to play with all the other animals. She’s fascinated by the ferrets.)
- Give to Your Favorite Non-Profit Day. We all have our different causes we support, whether you’re passionate about cleaning up the earth, giving to children in developing countries or providing music education opportunities to children (like myself!) or maybe you’re all about animal rights (I mean, who isn’t?), well today is your day to give back to that one cause you think needs it the most. Don’t know which cause you would pick? Well, because this day would be so important, there would be festivals all around the country speaking about different non-profit organizations advocating for their own causes. Listen, learn, then you decide, and then you help out!
There you have it, collegiettes™! The sky is the limit—come up with your own holiday on March 26 and if the calendar creator doesn’t get to it first, make your day come to life. Don’t see the holiday you want on here? Leave a comment with your idea below!