NATIONAL PUNCH DAY

While one perspective suggests honoring tools used to make holes, another points to a day created to throw a few punches at a punching bag. However, we will direct you toward the thirst-quenching version instead. Besides, this delicious, refreshing drink sparkles with celebration.
A wide assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, fall into the category of punch.

A combination of fruit juice and a carbonated beverage, the colorful, bubbly drink sparkles with party personality. In fact, parties, weddings, and other celebrations serve punch as part of the centerpiece at the beverage table. Large wide bowls known as punch bowls provide a beautiful vessel for serving punch.

The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch (meaning five). Originally, punch was made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. It was called paantsch.


Soft drink manufacturers today distribute many types of “fruit punch” beverages. Most punch mixes are red in color. However, despite the name, they contain a small fraction of fruit juice. Sugar, corn syrup, citric acid, and artificial flavors make up the main ingredients.

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HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL PUNCH DAY

Make some punch and make a toast! Thousands of punch recipes make the beverage versatile and easy to make. Check recipe books and online. Be sure to share your favorites, too! Use #NationalPunchDay to post on social media. 

NATIONAL MOVIE NIGHT

Pop some popcorn, grab a blanket and your favorite buddy, put away the cell phones and tablets, and then queue up a string of movies for a fun night of entertainment. National Movie Night on the second Friday in June encourages us to start (or restart) a tradition of movie nights with friends and family.

Movies have been bringing people together for over 100 years. The stars, the stories entertain us, connect us and help us create memories. As technology evolves, so does how we enjoy our movie nights. From the theater to reel-to-reel home movies, the VCR, DVD, and streaming, we’ve been enjoying movies on big and small screens. Drive-in movies invited us to enjoy films from the comfort of our cars. Today, our video library is as large as we want it to be thanks to streaming services. We can even enjoy movies in our own backyards projected onto screens under the stars.

Can you smell the popcorn popping? Start your tradition with friends and family on National Movie Night with new and classic movies at the theatre or in your homes.

Jennifer and Jayda Borget, a mother-daughter duo fluent in movie quotes and authors of the Family Movie Night Journal, founded National Movie Night to create an opportunity to bring new and old movie night traditions to life. Be prepared to laugh, cry or cringe, but most importantly, to make memories! Need a list of suggestions for National Movie Night? This list at movienightjournal.com will get you started.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalMovieNight

What movie will you watch and who will you invite for National Movie Night? There are so many ways to start a movie tradition:

  • Make a movie night bucket list.
  • Share your favorite movie quotes.
  • Create a group with people who love movies. Plan to celebrate with a night out at the movie theatre.
  • Host a movie night in with the family. Pick a film the whole family will enjoy.
  • Invite friends and family for a movie night BBQ. Hang a sheet or screen to project the movie onto. Wait for it to get dark and then let the entertainment begin.
  • Load up the car and head to the nearest drive-in movie theatre.
  • Create a buffet of your favorite movie snacks and beverages for everyone to enjoy.
  • Ask everyone to write a review and deliver it in their best critic voice.
  • Invite everyone to dress in their red-carpet best for movie premieres and go to the movies in style.

Don’t forget to share your movie night traditions. Use #NationalMovieNight to share your celebration on social media and follow @movienightjournal. Sit back, hit play, and enjoy the show!

NATIONAL BEVERAGE DAY

National Beverage Day on May 6th encourages us to sit back, relax, and enjoy our favorite beverages.  

Beverages come in many forms. And whether you prefer a hot beverage or a cold one, the choice is yours. Serve up a caffeinated drink poured over over ice. Make it carbonated or mix it up as a cocktail or a mocktail as the case may be. Beverages may be freshly squeezed, frozen, blended, or creamy. They can even be sweet, sour, bitter, smooth, or dry.  

We drink them to cool off and to warm up. We also drink them to chill out and serve them to add sparkle to a celebration. Although, some months celebrate more than others. While January is quite busy and raises a glass to milk, green juice, and the bloody Mary, February only celebrates Kahlua. While July is busy, May doesn’t shy away from beverage celebrations, either. We just celebrated lemonade and America’s favorite beverage, orange juice, and will celebrate several more in May, too!

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalBeverageDay

Observe National Beverage Day by singing to a “beverage” inspired song while enjoying your tasty beverage!  Post photos of your favorite beverage on social media using #NationalBeverageDay

NATIONAL LEMONADE DAY

National Lemonade Day on the first Sunday in May encourages the entrepreneurial spirit in young people all across the country. 

Not only is the celebration a time to enjoy a refreshing glass of lemonade, but more importantly, it is a day to give youth an opportunity to experience the taste of success.

Through LemonadeDay.org, millions of kids around the nation learn what it takes to run a business in a fun and constructive way.

The days leading up to Lemonade Day are full of preparation by small but budding entrepreneurs. They attend workshops, check their stock, and scout out their locations. On Lemonade Day, they will be ready to set up shop and sell the freshest, coolest lemonade their side of the block!

NATIONAL LEMONADE DAY HISTORY

Michael Holthouse founded National Lemonade Day in 2007 in his hometown of Houston, Texas to allow youth to sample running small businesses – like a lemonade stand. Today he and LemonadeDay.org are partnered with Google to continue to bring the entrepreneurial spirit to the youth of America.

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalLemonadeDay

What better way for kids to learn about running a small business than by starting one? For ages, children have set up small stands on the sidewalk. But now, we need to take them seriously. Cash in hand, consumers, come to the counter, and get your lemonade by the glassful.

Businesses face challenges, too. If they’re given lemons, well they make a different sort of lemonade. Use the ledger to create other business scenarios around your home. You can also find more ideas at www.lemonadeday.org. Frequent your favorite lemonade stand and use #NationalLemonadeDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL PICNIC DAY

On April 23rd, National Picnic Day encourages everyone to pack up their lunch and take it outdoors. 

There are a variety of ways to take part in a picnic. This meal hearkens back to mid-18th-century al fresco French dining when all you needed was a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, some cheese and fruit and you could have a party under the sky.

From the French for piquenique, picnicmeans a meal eaten outdoors.

From barbecues to simple cold plates, picnics are light informal affairs intended to be relaxing and fun for everyone to enjoy the day. Some favorite picnic foods include sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit and vegetables, light salads, and homemade bars. However, picnics can be expanded to include grilled items, too. Burgers and corn on the cob cook up nicely on a portable grill. During large picnics, guests often bring a dish to share creating a pot luck atmosphere. 

The fresh air tends to rev up our appetite, so getting in some physical activity while enjoying a picnic is nice, too. Games of horseshoe, Frisbee, catch or flying a kite add to the fun of the day. 

Now is a great time to get ready for National Picnic Month in July.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalPicnicDay

Celebrate this day by having a picnic of your own. Pack up a cooler or basket with a few of your favorite items. Make sure to include a beverage or two. Be sure to keep perishable items on ice so no one gets sick. Visit a favorite park or recreation area. Lay the blanket out in the sun or shade (whichever you prefer) and enjoy the day with a meal under the sky. Bring a Frisbee or a ball to toss around, too. 

If the weather does not cooperate, have a picnic in your home on the living room floor!  Share your photos on social media using #NationalPicnicDay.