Holidays

Anytime is the perfect time to throw a mini birthday party for a stuffed animal. The great thing is, stuffed toys can have as many birthdays a year as they want. A great holiday to celebrate on a random weekday when The Gloom decends upon ye.

• Optional: decorate. Blow up a balloon. Put out a birthday tablecloth.
• Optional: dress the birthday beast in a birthday outfit. If you don't have one, make and decorate a paper hat.
• Bake or buy a birthday cake or desert of choice.
• Listen to a birthday song.
• Light and blow out birthday candles. Or whatever candle you have on hand.
• Do a fun activity that suits your plushie's interests (hint: this is actually whatever you want to do, but maybe you can make it on theme).

Do you ever wish there were two Halloweens? I do. I think there's room for a whimsical counterpart. Where Halloween has ghosts, devils, and vampires, Fairyween has gnomes, fairies, and unicorns. Dress in fairy tale costumes, cook a feast fit for a king, and enjoy fantasy stories.

April 30th is 6 months from Halloween, so that might be a good time to celebrate. Spring's association with new life and growth also makes a good counterpoint to Fall's death and dormancy. It also could subsume some Easter traditions, like egg decorating (for those who don't fw Easter anymore).

• Read some classic fairy tales, fables, or fantasy novels.
• Explore fairy tales from around the world.
• Dress up in fantasy costume.
• Decorate your home; put up fairy lights, make paper chains, make bunting, etc.
• Make some fantasy-themed crafts.
• Try some medieval recipes. Mmm, garbage and compost. Yum yum.
• Cook recipes inspired by your favorite fantasy media.
• Play a fantasy video game or board game.

There are, like, a billion bugs for every person on Earth. We would all be dead without them. So it only makes sense to devote some time to worshipping them.

I think this should last at least a week. Summer is when bugs are most plentiful, but you may want to schedule your Bug Fest to coincide with the appearance of whatever bug you like best. For example, if fireflies start appearing in June, or maybe when cicadas are at their peak in mid-late summer. This will be specific to your region, of course.

• Take a walk to find insects. Take photos, and spend time identifying them.
• Read about bugs in a library book or online.
• Make some bug-related crafts.
• Create an insect hotel.
• Create a insect watering station.
• Plant some native plants or leave a portion of your yard unmown.
• Eat some bug themed snacks, like dirt pudding or a classic ants on a log.
• If you're really adventurous, eat some actual bugs. Or maybe some other arthropods, like crabs and shrimps.

Sometimes the weather doesn't permit a camping trip. Using blankets and imagination you can capture some of the atmosphere in your living room.

• Collect camping supplies: camping lantern, flashlights, sleeping bag, thermos, etc.
• Assemble typical camping foods: s'mores ingredients, hotdogs, stew, whatever you like to have camping.
• Create your tent. Build a pillow fort with a canopy of blankets.
• Burn a wood-wick candle. (Not in your pillow fort! Keep it away from flammables and supervise it carefully.)
• Sing or listen to some campfire songs.
• Tell, read, or listen to stories.
• Optionally, do some outdoor activities that you'd otherwise do camping. Foraging, leaf rubbings, frisbee, hike your local trail, take photos, and then veg out in your "tent."