Talk like a Pirate Day: More holidays, more fun!

September 20, 2008 10:41 AM

My workplace (retail; caters to a local university almost exclusively) recently celebrated Talk Like a Pirate Day. It was awesome fun. They want a list of other fun holidays they can celebrate, especially ones that occur during the month of September or January (the only months that we have enough employees to make it worthwhile). Could you recommend any other fun holidays? If all else fails, could you help us make up some holidays (and please mention if they're made up)?
posted by flibbertigibbet to grab bag (13 answers total)

This horribly designed site lists a bunch of bizarre holidays. For instance, today is International Eat An Apple Day.
posted by nitsuj at 10:50 AM on September 20, 2008

I'd also like to note that Monday is Elephant Appreciation Day.

            __     __       
           /  \~~~/  \    
     ,----(     ..    ) 
    /      \__     __/   
   /|         (\  |(
  ^ \   /___\  /\ | 
     |__|   |__|-"    appreciate me

posted by nitsuj at 10:52 AM on September 20, 2008 [3 favorites]

First of all, this seems like an easily-Googleable question you could answer on your own. Second of all, you're asking people on the internets to promise to tell you if they're making something up.

That said, December 19 is Oatmeal Muffin Day.

Also, here's a list of proclamations issued by President Bush.
posted by emelenjr at 11:20 AM on September 20, 2008

Sorry, you already missed National High Five Day
posted by meta_eli at 11:32 AM on September 20, 2008

The thing is, the bosses actually had a person sit down and google potential holidays anytime he didn't have any work to do (which was very often on a Friday night at a university textbook store). He googled holidays in relation to every date in September; "international * day", etc., but found it was very hard to find anything fun.

He came up with a lot of holidays, but they were very difficult to celebrate in a fun, happy way like Talk Like a Pirate Day. How do you celebrate Bisexual Day or Cherry Jubilee Day (both in late September, and both found by said employee) like you celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day? You can't offer customers cherry pie (true) or dress like cherries (...), and you can't 'dress like a bisexual', whatever that means. You can, however, tell me that a Drag Day would be awesome, so have employees dress in the clothing of the opposite sex, but only if they want, or that the only way to balance the scales of justice after a Pirate Day is a Ninja Day, because Pirate and Ninjas are lethal enemies. Made-up days that we can have fun with.

*shrug* Sorry, emelenjr. Also, we're Canadian, so we're trying to avoid things proclaimed by President Bush.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 11:43 AM on September 20, 2008

Google "Wacky Holidays" instead of "international" anything, and you'll come up with a WHOLE BUNCH. Lots involve chocolate/food, which is always fun.
posted by nkknkk at 12:01 PM on September 20, 2008

OCTOBER 22 IS INTERNATIONAL CAPSLOCK DAY!

DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CELEBRATE IF YOU ARE NOT ON THE INTERNET, THOUGH. MAYBE JUST YELL ALOT.

That was fun.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:15 PM on September 20, 2008 [2 favorites]

A lot of these January holidays look like they might be fun to celebrate in some fashion at the bookstore.
posted by limeonaire at 12:57 PM on September 20, 2008

Steak And A Blowjob Day might be pretty popular with the college kids.
posted by briank at 2:02 PM on September 20, 2008

How do you celebrate Bisexual Day

Kids these days have no imagination....



Anyway, it seems to me that your problem is not finding a holiday to celebrate, it's finding "office fun day" themes. Why not just open it up to a suggestion box -- or better yet, a lottery or voting system with "winners" (and heck, why not a betting pool, too? double brownies or something). Participants can dress up, talk in character, or whatever.

Holidays as goofy as TLAPD are in short supply.
posted by dhartung at 2:12 PM on September 20, 2008

National Pie Day. Not making this one up. Have free slices of pie for all customers? Or team up with a local bakery and give away discount coupons to said bakery?
posted by radioamy at 8:17 PM on September 20, 2008

radioamy: c'mon, all the smart kids know that pi day is more important than pie day!
posted by msacheson at 11:01 PM on September 20, 2008

My husband is the production manager at a performing arts center on the campus of a community college here in California. Twice a year they produce a huge show - once at Christmas and once in the spring. During tech week, they proclaim each day to be something special. There is usually a Hawaiian shirt day, nice ass day, fall on the grenade day, suck up day, dress like the set day etc. They are pretty hilarious and fun.
posted by jvilter at 12:28 AM on September 21, 2008 [1 favorite]