Peculiar People Day and Other Unusual Holidays

There are an abundance of unusual holidays in January that we can use to add a touch of something different to our stories. If you write adventure, an exciting one could be centered around one of these lesser known holidays. Or you could use one of these unusual holidays in your fantasy story. In this article, I'll tell you about the unusual holidays from the ninth day of January until the nineteenth day of January. Some days I will talk a bit about, others I won't. More information about the mentioned holidays can easily be found on the internet if you want to know more about them.


January 9
Play God Day - This is something that fiction writers do every time they sit down and write. You play God and invent drama for characters you have created. How it all turns out is completely up to you.
National Clean Off Your Desk Day - This is one I definitely need to celebrate. My little desk gets cluttered so easily it needs cleaned off just about every day. Join me in celebrating this unusual holiday and make your desk a nice, clutter-free place to work.

January 10
Houseplant Appreciation Day - This is the day to show appreciation to your houseplants that you may have neglected over the holiday season. Pay them a bit of extra attention today.
Peculiar People Day - This is a day in honor of those who are unique, distinctive, special, odd, queer, strange, weird, offbeat, different, curious, unusual, bizarre, outlandish, or off the wall. I only hope that I am peculiar enough to join this crowd of people. Whether or not you are peculiar enough, you can create a character that definitely is.

January 11
Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day - This is a day to be mischievous, not to literally jump in a puddle and splash your friends. Anyway, on any day in this usually cold month most puddles are frozen!

January 12
National Pharmacist Day - This isn't really an unusual holiday, but it is the only one I could find for January 12. This day recognizes the importance of our pharmacists. Hmmm. You could celebrate it by writing a story with your favorite pharmacist as a character.

January 13
Blame Someone Else Day - This is the one day you are allowed to blame someone else for all of the problems you have – even if your problems are your fault. Just remember, someone else could be blaming his problems on you!
Friday the 13th - Friday the 13th occurs only 1 to 3 times a year. This would be a good day to read through all of my phobias articles and center a story around one of them. Just don't let your story stop after chapter 13.
International Skeptics Day - If you are a person who usually doubts everything, then this day is especially for you.
Make Your Dream Come True Day - This is the day to realize your goals and make your dreams come true. Have you always wanted to write a book? Start on it today. Have you always wanted your book to be published? Publish it yourself.
Rubber Duckie Day - If you love your rubber duckie, well, this is the day for you.

January 14
Dress Up Your Pet Day - Your pet may not enjoy this day. Instead of torturing your pet and dressing him or her up in something outlandish, do something nice and go buy your pet a coat to keep him warm during this cold, cold month.

January 15
National Hat Day - This is the day to wear and show off your favorite hat. Don't have a hat? Then go buy one.

January 16
Appreciate a Dragon Day - Donita K. Paul, author of the 5-book fantasy series, The DragonKeeper Chronicles, created this day in 2004. Celebrate dragons on this day by reading about them, writing about them, learning about them, drawing them. Just do something to celebrate these magnificent creatures.
Nothing Day - This is a day to celebrate, well, nothing. This unique day was created by newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin in 1973. Why? Not sure. Why don't you invent a reason for this day and write a story about it?

January 17
Cable Car Day
Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day - Have the resolutions you made on New Year's Day become a burden to you? This is the day that you are allowed to trash them.
Kid Inventors' Day - Yes, kids are inventors, too, and this is the day to celebrate the young inventors and their creations. What types of things have kids invented? Things such as water skis, earmuffs, popsicles, and swim fins.
Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day

January 18
Do Dah Parade Day
Thesaurus Day - On this day we celebrate the birthday of Peter Roget, born in 1779, the man who is the author of the thesaurus. If you haven't picked up your thesaurus, a book that lists synonyms and antonyms, this is the day to become reacquainted with this wonderful resource.
Winnie the Pooh Day - My favorite bear, Winnie the Pooh, has his own day. This is the day to commemorate the birth of his creator, A.A. Milne in 1882.

January 19
Popcorn Day - This is the day to kick back and enjoy some popcorn.
Tin Can Day - On this day in 1825, Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett obtained a U.S. patent for their process of storing food in tin cans. Can you imagine what life would be like without their invention? Why not try to imagine and create a story about what life would be like if the tin can had never been used for storing food.