The point of these Sunday posts has been lost a little bit lately, what with all the crappy stuff that’s happened in the last few years, but let me try to re-assert just what the aim is: It’s to make you feel better, maybe make you laugh or smile. Considering we had a pretty horrible tornado outbreak Friday night into Saturday morning, I think a little escape is needed.

Today, then, I turn to the national holiday calendar and find that today is both Gingerbread House Day and Gingerbread Decorating Day. Believe it or not, despite all the baking I’ve done in my life, I’ve never made a gingerbread house, and I’m fairly sure I haven’t made gingerbread cookies either. Why? Because I’m not very good at decorating.

Moving on, it’s also Universal Health Coverage Day, Worldwide Candle Lighting Day, and International Day of Neutrality, all very noble. And it’s National Poinsettia Day, Choral Day and National Ambrosia Day, as well as Our Lady of Guadalupe Day. Then there’s the Festival of Unmentionable Thoughts, which sounds much more fun than it actually is (it’s about freedom of expression which, while worthy, isn’t quite what we’re looking for).

But … oh, look … it’s National Ding-A-Ling Day! First of all, fun to say, which you know is a big selling point for me. Second, it’s a good day to talk to friends and family on the phone. And third, it’s license to be odd (not that I need that).

According to National Today: “National Ding-A-Ling Day is one of those uniquely American inventions. It’s sort of a two-fer holiday where you touch base (preferably by phone — hence the playful reference to “ding-a-ling”) with friends or family you may have lost track of during the year. You also get a free pass to be just a little bit weird for the day. National Ding-A-Ling Day always takes place on December 12 but you can think of it as a second Halloween!”

So grab the phone, call some folks, and be your nutty self today.