Punchbowl Blog

This post was written by Stephanie Fader, Sr. Marketing Manager

The weather is nice, the days are long, the flowers are in bloom — all of which make summer the perfect time for celebrations! However, summer is also a time of year with very few official holidays. While the two-month period between July 4th and Labor Day may be void of popular holidays, it’s chock full of fun and quirky reasons to celebrate!

Want to find out which quirky holidays to celebrate this summer? The Reasons to Celebrate section of Punchbowl highlights interesting and unusual reasons to celebrate for all 365 days of the year. In most cases there is more than one reason to celebrate per day. There are also weekly and monthly reasons to celebrate.

I noticed that some of our favorite reasons to celebrate are coming up within the next week. Here’s a list of popular summer reasons to celebrate. The list includes those favorites that I mentioned — can you guess which ones they are?

• National Gummi Worm Day (July 15)
• National Ice Cream Day (July 17)
• National Daiquiri Day (July 19)
• Girlfriends Day (August 1)
• International Beer Day (August 5)
• S’mores Day (August 10)
• National Relaxation Day (August 15)
• Eat Outside Day (August 31)

If you want to be the first to know the daily reasons to celebrate, there are a couple of ways to do this. First, go to any Reasons to Celebrate page and sign up to “Get daily email updates!” You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We post the day’s reason to celebrate every morning.

Check out the upcoming holidays and let us know what your favorite reason to celebrate is this summer!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Wednesday, September 29 is a big day for caffeine addicts everywhere—it’s National Coffee Day! This annual holiday is one of the most popular Reasons to Celebrate of the year. Is anyone surprised? You can enjoy coffee in a number of ways, whether it’s hot, iced, flavored, decaf, espresso, cappuccino, or latte!

Here are three ways you can celebrate National Coffee Day:

1) Send a free National Coffee Day eCard to remind your friends, family, and coworkers to take a coffee break in honor of National Coffee Day.

2) Enjoy a free cup of joe from participating coffee shops. Find out where you can get free coffee.

3) Spread the word about National Coffee Day with your social networks, like Facebook and Twitter. We have easy “Share” options right on the National Coffee Day page  (below the National Coffee Day description) that you can use to spread the word!

Don’t forget to take time out of your day for a coffee break of your own. Enjoy National Coffee Day!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Since Monday, September 6 is Labor Day and a lot of people take off early to enjoy the long weekend, I thought I’d share next week’s Reasons to Celebrate a few days early…

One important holiday to note is Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 12. Plan ahead to spend time with your grandparents if you’re lucky enough to still have them with you. Sunday is also National Chocolate Milkshake Day so a trip to your local ice cream shop or an old school ice cream parlor could be in order.

Another holiday next week is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will be celebrated on Thursday, September 9. We wish everyone a very happy and sweet new year!

Now that we’re into September, it’s also a good time to start thinking about Halloween. Yeah, that’s right, Halloween is just around the corner. Thinking about having a costume party or pumpkin carving night? Send a Halloween Save the Date to get your event on guests’ calendars!

Here are all of the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• September 6: Labor Day
• September 7: Salami Day
• September 8: International Literacy Day
• September 9: Teddy Bear Day & Rosh Hashanah
• September 10: TV Dinner Day
• September 11: National Hot Cross Buns Day
• September 12: National Grandparents Day

Have a nice long Labor Day weekend!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Can you believe August is already over?? The summer always seems to go by so quickly! With Labor Day coming up on Monday, September 6, the unofficial end of summer is truly upon us. Do you have plans? There’s still time to plan an impromptu cookout with friends and family. Need a little more incentive? Here are some tasty (and easy) recipes you can try: baked beans and beer margaritas.

Another fabulous reason to enjoy the late August sun is Eat Outside Day on Tuesday, August 31. Grab the kids, your coworkers, whoever, and go find a nice spot to enjoy lunch outside. Lunch doesn’t work? Have dinner on the patio or picnic in the backyard.

This week marks another extremely popular Reason to Celebrate. Sunday, September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day! A favorite with kids and adults alike, it no wonder this classic meal has its own day. One idea we love is a Make Your Own Pizza party. You can use our Potluck feature to have guests sign up to bring the toppings!

Here are all of the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• August 30: National Toasted Marshmallow Day
• August 31: Eat Outside Day
• September 1: National Cherry Popover Day
• September 2: National Blueberry Popsicle Day
• September 3: National Welsh Rarebit Day
• September 4: National Macadamia Nut Day
• September 5: National Cheese Pizza Day

Have a great week!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

As August winds down, this week’s Reasons to Celebrate remind us to sit back and enjoy a few summer treats. Grab a cherry popsicle on Thursday, August 26 for National Cherry Popsicle Day.

If you’re a big fan of bananas, embrace the true banana lover in you on Friday, August 27 — Banana Lover’s Day! That leads us to another summer treat that can be enjoyed by banana lovers and non-banana lovers alike, the banana split. That’s right, Wednesday, August 25 is National Banana Split Day. Stack yours with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and your favorite toppings!

Labor Day is also approaching on Monday, September 6. It’s a great time to get the family together for a cookout or round up your neighbors for a block party. It will be here before you know it, so send your invitations today.

Here are the rest of the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• August 23: National Sponge Cake Day
• August 24: National Waffle Day
• August 25: National Banana Split Day
• August 26: National Cherry Popsicle Day
• August 27: Banana Lover’s Day
• August 28: National Cherry Turnover Day
• August 29: Chop Suey Day

Have a great week!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

If you love eating everything from entrees and sides to desserts and snacks, this is the week for you! Nearly all of the Reasons to Celebrate this week have to do with food and they pretty much cover every meal from bratwurst and potatoes to spumoni and soft ice cream.

This week we also celebrate a favorite summertime beverage: lemonade. Friday, August 20 is National Lemonade Day. If you’re looking for a way to celebrate and cool off from the heat, you can make an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade and half iced tea), which are pretty popular in our office. Or, you could help your kids make a big pitcher of traditional lemonade and set up a lemonade stand.

Also, don’t forget that Labor Day is just a few weeks away. If you’re thinking about having a family cookout or some kind of get together, why not invite a few more people over to celebrate one last summer hurrah?

Here’s a snapshot of all the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• August 16: Bratwurst Day
• August 17: National Vanilla Custard Day
• August 18: National Soft Ice Cream Day
• August 19: National Potato Day
• August 20: National Lemonade Day
• August 21: National Spumoni Day
• August 22: Be an Angel Day

Have a food-tastic week!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Can you believe we’re almost halfway through the month of August? The nights seem to be getting a little cooler and the kids are getting ready to head back to school. But summer isn’t over yet, so make the most of it with this week’s Reasons to Celebrate!

Tuesday, August 10 is S’mores Day. Invite some friends over to sit beneath the stars, relax by the fire, and enjoy this classic summer treat. A traditional s’more is comprised of a toasted marshmallow and piece of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. Have you ever tried any alternative recipes? At a cookout over the weekend, we thought peanut butter or caramel would make a fun twist on the traditional recipe. If you have any other ideas, let us know!

Our second Reason to Celebrate that honors a summer favorite is National Creamsicle Cay on Saturday, August 14. The combination of orange and vanilla has pleased kids and adults alike for many, many summers. Get them from the ice cream man, your local super market or make your own!

Another interesting holiday this week is Left-Handers Day on Friday, August 13. This day acknowledges and celebrates left-handed people around the world. Are you a lefty? Join the club—literally!

Labor Day is also just a few weeks away. If you are still trying to figure out a theme for your party, why not make it a Strawberry Splash Labor Day party? Strawberries are one fruit that definitely evoke a summer feel and there are lots of delicious recipes that you can make with strawberries.

Here are the rest of the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• August 9: National Rice Pudding Day
• August 10: S’mores Day
• August 11: National Raspberry Tart Day
• August 12: International Youth Day
• August 13: International Left-Handers Day
• August 14: National Creamsicle Day
• August 15: National Relaxation Day

Have a great week!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

August is a time to enjoy what’s left of the summer before the kids go back to school and we return to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Sit back and enjoy this week’s Reasons to Celebrate. Thursday, August 5, for example, is Sister’s Day. It’s a great excuse to grab your sister and head to the beach or grab lunch together.

Saturday, August 7 is National Mustard Day (always the first Saturday in August). It’s a great day to plan a cookout. Ask all of your guests to bring a different kind of mustard and have a taste test on your burgers and hot dogs!

Here are the rest of the week’s Reasons to Celebrate:

• August 3: National Watermelon Day
• August 4: National Coast Guard Day
• August 5: Sister’s Day
• August 6: National Root Beer Float Day
• August 7: National Mustard Day
• August 8: National Zucchini Day

We’re also starting to see lots of Labor Day cookouts and Back to School parties in the works. Start planning your Labor Day cookout or Back to School party today!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

Can you believe it’s already the end of July?!? There are a few more delicious Reasons to Celebrate before the end of the month, like National Milk Chocolate Day on Wednesday, July 28, National Lasagna Day on Thursday, July 29 and National Cheesecake Day on Friday, July 30.

Make sure to plan ahead for Sunday, August 1 – it’s National Girlfriends Day! It’s a great opportunity to plan a fun activity with the girls. Maybe it’s a day at the beach or a trip to the spa. You could even host a summer cocktail soiree and just relax and reminisce. Good girlfriends are hard to come by so however you choose to celebrate, we hope you enjoy it.

Sunday also kicks off August’s monthly celebrations. August is National Peach Month, National Goat Cheese Month, and National Water Quality Month. Looking ahead…the first week of August is also Simplify Your Life Week. What a great week to get organized and establish your priorities.

This week, however, enjoy these Reasons to Celebrate:

• July 26: All or Nothing Day
• July 27: Walk on Stilts Day
• July 28: National Milk Chocolate Day
• July 29: National Lasagna Day
• July 30: National Cheesecake Day
• July 31: Mutt’s Day
• August 1: National Girlfriends Day

Oh, and if you’re planning to host a Labor Day cookout, you’ve got six weeks left to plan. To make sure you get the best turnout for your event, send a Save the Date for your Labor Day party today!

This post written by Stephanie Fader, Marketing & PR Manager

It appears this week is all about family. With Cousins’ Day on Saturday, July 24 and Parents’ Day on Sunday, July 25, this is a great week to host a family reunion to get all of your cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents together for a grand family affair!

Another popular holiday this week is National Hot Dog Day on Friday, July 23. Even if you can’t eat 68 hot dogs like World Record holder Joey Chestnut, eating one or two isn’t so bad in honor of National Hot Dog Day. A Friday night cookout with the neighbors grilling up hot dogs sounds like a delightful way to spend the evening. Top it off with some s’mores and you’ll be all set.

Here’s the full list of Reasons to Celebrate for the week:

• July 19: National Daiquiri Day
• July 20: National Lollipop Day
• July 21: National Junk Food Day
• July 22: Hammock Day
• July 23: National Hot Dog Day
• July 24: Cousins’ Day
• July 25: Parents’ Day

Have a great week!