By the time August rolls around, your summer vacation may have come and gone, back-to-school is approaching and there’s not a single holiday on the calendar.
Or is there?
It’s the perfect time to create your own unique family holiday—and a memory that will last all the way through the cold months ahead. Here are a few suggestions, but feel free to improvise and
and share your holidays with us.
Celebrate the United States of Your Family.
Imagine your yard was a country, with your house as the royal palace. What would your flag look like? What would the regional cuisine be? The national pastime? For a day, let your family members write the rules of your realm. And don’t forget the parade up and down the driveway.
Throw a back-to-school-athon.
Forget the homework (and the housework–at least for a day) and get jazzed up for the new school year. Teach your kids how to make a family favorite in home ec class, craft a birdhouse in shop or have a history lesson with old photos. (Do your kids know how their grandparents first met?) End the day with a movie marathon of school classics like
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, School of Rock or
Grease. Or clear the furniture out of the living room, put on some dance music and throw an impromptu prom.
Have an unbirthday party.
If someone’s birthday falls on or near a national holiday, he or she may feel shortchanged when it comes to special attention. So throw him an unbirthday party where everything is topsy-turvy. Put a slice of cake on top of a scoop of ice cream and then add a candle for the guests to blow out. Cover the floor with balloons and streamers (instead of the ceiling), have the unbirthday boy or girl sing to everyone else, and give presents to your guests rather than the other way around.
Spend a dog-day afternoon.
Fill up the kiddie pool and toss in some tennis balls, put some hot dogs on the grill and invite some furry friends and their owners over for a dog-gone good time. Make
frozen treats (you can call them pupsicles) that both your two- and four-legged guests will enjoy—freeze sliced bananas, berries and seedless watermelon in extra-small
Ziploc® Brand Containers with the Smart Snap® Seal (Note: Though bananas and seedless watermelon are regarded as safe for dogs to eat, check with your veterinarian before feeding any fruits or vegetables to your pet.) Have a dog-toy swap—just like kids, your dog will love someone else’s cast-off toys. Even if the dogs are well behaved, use sweat-resistant
OFF! Active® repellent (available in an aerosol or pump spray) to make sure your human guests don’t get bitten. It protects against mosquitoes, even during the most vigorous game of fetch.
Change-of-pace day.
This is a day to celebrate your inner adventurer—do a little wish fulfillment or just something fun and out of the ordinary. Wear an outfit that’s too nice for everyday, all day long. Wake your family up to watch the sunrise, eat dinner for breakfast or just listen to a new genre of music. Get out your most exotic cookbook and prepare the first dish the book opens to—come on, you can always order a pizza if the new recipe doesn't work out. When you focus on trying new things, who knows what fun discoveries you and your family may make?
Even if you decide that your personal holiday is one where you eat ice cream for breakfast and don’t change out of pajamas all day, celebrate wholeheartedly!