Back when I wrote food stories on a fairly regular basis (much thanks to the wonderful Irene Wassell, who was quite possibly the sweetest and most genuine person I’ve ever worked with, may she rest in peace), I did one on food holidays in a month with no federal holidays, August. The month fairly teemed with food celebrations then, such as National Catfish Month and National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and it seems even more have been added since, with foods from potatoes to bao to fajitas being honored. (I tried to find a link to that story, but failed miserably; I couldn’t even find it in the archives. Did I just dream it?)

That’s one of the things about so many of these national days: All that’s needed is someone to create a day to celebrate whatever they want. Not all holidays are full of history and gravitas; some observances are just plain fun, which I think too many people have forgotten.

Yeah, fun. What fun is that???

I’m proudly weird, and can be pretty fun to be around (well, as long as I know you; otherwise I’m an introverted mess who can’t read social cues, sometimes even from the people I’m around the most). I love animation (the only live-action remake of Disney’s I’ve liked is “Cinderella,” which didn’t try to be a remake). I’m a word nerd of the first order, and can amuse myself for hours reading dictionaries. (I’m a craaaaazy woman!) Musicals make me giddy, especially smart ones with a biting sense of humor. I get obsessive about sometimes the oddest things, and won’t be satisfied until I’ve sampled/researched/over-indulged in them, after which I might forget them forever (one of my current obsessions: Tunnock’s Snowballs). I’m proud to be aunt to not only human nieces and nephews, but a host of furry ones like Charlie, Ollie, Miley, Spike and Tomkin.

There’s a lot to worry about in this world, especially now, when the hard-won rights of women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community (which encompasses many of the people I love dearly) are at risk of being curtailed or nearly lost altogether. But there are hopeful signs as well. Despite the hate aimed at them (and there’s a lot of it, as MAGA and others feel emboldened by their make-believe mandate of less than 50 percent of the voters who actually showed up), the marginalized and others are practicing small and large acts of kindness every day, most for no other reason than to pass along an act of kindness done for them. Sometimes, those acts blossom into more and more kindnesses down the line because most people still, in their hearts, are basically kind, regardless of political party, religion or other social division.

What does that have to do with holidays? Well, sometimes you just want to celebrate the good things, the things that make you smile, laugh, and maybe tear up a little because of how sweet they are. That’s what days like Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (yes, it’s real, and it’s today; March 26 for those reading this as soon as it posts instead of waiting till morning) are all about.

While the history of the holiday is unclear—daysoftheyear.com reports that it’s believed to have started in the early 2000s, inspired by writer Jace Shoemaker-Galloway’s love of made-up holidays—that doesn’t make it any less worthy of consideration. The site notes, “It reminds us that sometimes, the most memorable celebrations are the ones we come up with ourselves. Make Up Your Own Holiday Day is not just about fun and games. It’s a day that embraces creativity, individuality, and the joy of celebrating life’s simple pleasures.

“By inventing your own holiday, you get to highlight what matters most to you. This day proves that with a little imagination, any day can be a holiday, making our lives a bit more joyful and colorful.”

My friend Sarah might decide today is Jump Hug Day (jump hug being the phrase her son John uses to describe a cat jumping to meet your hand for pets, something both Charlie and Boo the Warehouse Cat do; Not Boo, the other hood black cat, does not do this). Frequent correspondent David Kelley of Louann might celebrate Shut Up and Listen Day, as he’s often written on the Voices page. I might decide, thanks to a joke by photographer friend Linda Alida, to celebrate FrankenBrenda Day as I count down the days till my last surgical staples are removed (woot … though there is still much physical therapy ahead).

Whatever makes you happy, celebrate it today. Well, as long as what makes you happy isn’t making others miserable. That just smacks of being even more socially clueless than I am. That’s saying a lot.

I mean, c’mon, I see people darting their eyes around and think there must be someone coming in I didn’t see, not that they’re trying to find an escape route. (Just tell me to go away, or go ahead and leave, politely. I get it; I’m a lot sometimes.)

Now that I think about it, here are a few other suggestions for Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (assuming no one has already thought of these):

🐈‍⬛ Cuddle Your Pet Day. Nothing brings down my blood pressure quicker than cuddling with one of my sweet fur-nieces or nephews. And if I don’t have any of them available at a given moment, I always have pictures of them to look at and recall their goofy and sweet antics. At some point I’ll get around to getting a new cat or three of my own (Luke is a nearly impossible act to follow), but for now, this’ll do. Cat/house-sitting is an excellent alternative to being responsible for care 24/7/365; while I took care of Luke with a broken arm and after a stroke, it was a lot sometimes, especially where the litter box was concerned. It was a good thing some days that he was beautiful and funny.

🍬 Who Says Easter Candy is Just for Easter Day. I look forward every year to Cadbury Mini Eggs. Once Easter is over, they’re nowhere to be found. Sure, there are the Harvest Handfuls and the Snowballs, but their time is just as short. Some candy should be year-round, though not Peeps or candy corn.

☝️ Finger-lickin’ Good Day. Who says it’s rude to run your finger along the inside of a cup of really good drinking chocolate (I’m working on a Food section story on cocoa for mid-fall, so I foresee a lot of this for me)/ice cream/soup/whatever? Just etiquette experts/tightly wound people who are allergic to fun and being spontaneous, most likely. Live a little. Take a swipe off that spoon you’re mixing cake batter with (a little uncooked egg probably won’t kill you). Heck, put your face in the bowl that contained that heavenly ice cream from Loblolly to get every last atom of creamy goodness (Arkansas Mud is my favorite, but I have my eye on the Samoa Girl Scout Cookie flavor). Enjoy yourself.

😸 Nap Like a Cat Day. Over the years, I’ve given short shrift to naps, particularly because as a chronic insomniac, if I napped in the afternoon, getting to sleep would be nearly impossible at night. Even as a kindergartener with a designated naptime on the class schedule, I had trouble. That’s changed a little bit in recent years, though I still have insomnia far more than I don’t. Still, when I’m ill or just extraordinarily tired (like from having to keep my broken arm elevated for hours on end), I’ve found a little 10-20 minute nap generally makes me feel better. I can’t quite curl into a cute little ball like some of my favorite felines, but look how chill naps make them (most of them, anyway).

🤬 Don’t Read the Comments Day: On this day, eschew reading the comments on the Internet, whether on Facebook, newspaper or magazine sites, X/Twitter, Instagram or any other place where trolls lurk. And before the actual trolls start in, declaring that I’m the troll (really??), recall the definition I’ve posted here many times before of what a troll is: someone who aims to antagonize others online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content.

Seriously, don’t read the comments if you can escape it at all. Surely there’s some hair that needs to be pulled from the shower drain.