Category: It’s National ________ Day!

The winter solstice is considered the shortest day and the longest night of the year and this year it takes place on December 22 for the Northern Hemisphere. 

Because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23-and-a-half degrees, Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly. The tilt of the Earth is what causes winter and summer. At the December solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning most away from the sun for the year.

Wright Brothers Day is celebrated in the United States on December 17 each year. The date commemorates the Wright brothers’ first successful flight accomplished on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Orville and his brother Wilbur are credited for building the world’s first successful airplane with aircraft controls that enabled them to steer the plane. The Wright brothers’ first aircraft, named Flyer, made its maiden flight for 12 seconds and 120 feet around the site of Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina.

December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day! Maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree. The maple tree is tapped by boring a hole into its trunk and collecting the running sap. Canada, the largest supplier of maple syrup, produces over 5 million gallons of it each year!

Native Americans were the first to harvest and boil the sap of the maple tree into a thick syrup—a process that was documented and adopted by early settlers in the 1600s. Tapping a maple tree does no permanent damage to the tree and only 10% of the sap that is produced in a year is actually collected. Unbelievably, it takes approximately 30-50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup!! 

Whether you like your maple syrup as a topping on pancakes, waffles, or french toast, enjoy some today in honor of National Maple Syrup Day!

National Violin Day is annually celebrated on December 13th. This holiday honors the instrument known as the violin. The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello. It is played by drawing a bow across one or more strings, by plucking the strings or by a variety of other techniques.  To celebrate National Violin Day, listen to some violinists on Youtube!

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is observed annually in the United States on December 7. This day is to remember and honor the 2,403 victims who were killed in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It is a tradition to fly the United States Flag at half-staff until sunset on that day.

December 1st is Eat a Red Apple Day! 

Apples are an extremely healthy snack with extremely high nutritional value. That’s why doctor’s say “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”! The peel alone contains antioxidants that help reduce damaged cells and fight diseases. 

There are 7,500 varieties of apples grown throughout the world. They can come in a variety of shapes, flavors, and colors including all shades of red, green, and yellow. Snack on your favorite variety of apple and celebrate Eat a Red Apple Day!