November 27, 2015 – NATIONAL FLOSSING DAY – NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY – BUY NOTHING DAY – NATIONAL BAVARIAN CREAM PIE DAY – YOU’RE WELCOMEGIVING DAY – NATIONAL DAY OF LISTENING – BLACK FRIDAY – MAIZE DAY

                                         NATIONAL FLOSSING DAY

National Flossing Day puts the focus on how important it is to care for your teeth.
The American Dental Association recommends flossing at least once a day to achieve the best results for oral health. Daily flossing removes plaque from areas between your teeth where a toothbrush is ineffective.  Plaque can turn into calculus or tarter so it is important to floss daily.  Flossing is also an important step in the prevention of gum disease and cavities.
For more information on flossing, go to www.Flossing.org.
OBSERVE
This would be a good day to develop the habit of flossing. Use #NationalFlossingDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
National Flossing Day was started in the year 2000 by the National Flossing Council.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

National Native American Heritage Day – Day after Thanksgiving
Image Credit: http://www.examiner.com

NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE DAY

The day after Thanksgiving has been designated National Native American Heritage day.  It is a day to celebrate and recognize the contributions, culture, tradition and heritage of Native American societies.
For Immediate Release October 30, 2015
Presidential Proclamation — National Native American Heritage Month, 2015
NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2015
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
American Indians and Alaska Natives enrich every aspect of our country. As the first to live on this land, Native Americans and their traditions and values inspired — and continue to inspire — the ideals of self-governance and determination that are the framework of our Nation. This month, we recognize the contributions made by Native Americans since long before our founding, and we resolve to continue the work of strengthening government-to-government ties with tribal nations and expanding possibility for all.
Native Americans have helped make America what it is today. As we reflect on our history, we must acknowledge the unfortunate chapters of violence, discrimination, and deprivation that went on for far too long, as well as the effects of injustices that continue to be felt. While we cannot undo the pain and tragedy of the past, we can set out together to forge a brighter future of progress and hope across Indian Country and the entire American landscape.
Since I took office, I have worked with tribal leaders to write a new chapter in our nation-to-nation relationship. Ensuring young people have every opportunity to succeed is a critical aspect of our work together, and this year my Administration hosted the inaugural White House Tribal Youth Gathering following the launch of Generation Indigenous — an initiative aimed at improving the lives of Native youth and empowering the next generation of Native leaders. We will also host the seventh White House Tribal Nations Conference later this year, bringing together leaders of 567 tribes to explore opportunities for progress, with a particular focus on young people. As part of our agenda for providing Native youth the chance to realize their fullest potential, I have engaged tribal communities in a range of critical areas, and we have worked together to boost high school graduation rates and afford young people more chances to pursue higher education, employment, and professional development opportunities. We’re also working to expand access to health and counseling services essential to ensuring youth feel safe and heard.
My Administration has continued to partner with tribes to address vital gaps in resources for Indian Country, including equipping communities with broadband, rebuilding infrastructure, spurring economic growth, and increasing renewable energy. To confront the peril of a changing climate, we are also working with tribal leaders across America to develop effective approaches to protecting our communities from this grave threat. And because we know that fostering pride in the languages, traditions, and practices that make up the extraordinary richness of Native American culture is central to our shared progress, my Administration remains committed to ensuring every community feels connected to the extraordinary legacies they are a part of.
This month, let us reaffirm our responsibility to ensure each generation is defined by a greater sense of opportunity than the last, and let us pledge to maintain our strong relationship with tribal nations across America. By keeping this commitment, and by endeavoring to shape a future in which every citizen has the chance to build a life worthy of their hopes and dreams, we can ensure that ours is a country that is true to our spirit and to our enduring promise as a land where all things are possible for all people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2015 as National Native American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate November 27, 2015, as Native American Heritage Day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
BARACK OBAMA
OBSERVE
To celebrate Native American Heritage Day try any of the following:

• Read a story about or by a Native American.
• Visit a one of many Native American museums, heritage centers or historic sights.
• Try a delicious Native American recipe.
  • Pemmican
  • Algonquin Wild Nut Soup
  • Posole with Red Chile
• Watch a movie or documentary about or by a Native American.
• Participate in or watch a game of Lacrosse.
• Attend one of many seminars, performances or events honoring Native American culture across the country.

Use #NativeAmericanHeritageDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Riding horse back from state to state in 1914, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, sought endorsement from 24 states in support of a national day recognizing and honoring Native Americans. He presented these endorsements to the White House the following year. While no national day was proclaimed, the state of New York declared the seconday Saturday in May as American Indian Day.
In 1986, the 99th Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the President to proclaim the week of November 23-30, 1986 as American Indian Week. President Ronald Reagan declared the first American Indian week that year and each year following of his presidency. President George H.W. Bush continued the proclamations until 1990 when he approved a joint resolution to declare November as National American Indian Heritage Month. This tradition has continued annually. In 2008 the Native American Heritage Day Act was enacted by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

Buy Nothing Day – Day After Thanksgiving
Image Credit: www.culturalweekly.com

BUY NOTHING DAY

Buy Nothing Day is celebrated annually on the day after Thanksgiving. This day is part of a movement against consumerism, urging the world to change their purchasing habits, to consume and produce less. 
OBSERVE
Instead of shopping, stay home and relax.
Other ways to so support for this day are:

• Cut up credit cards.
• Do a Whirl-mart – the act of disrupting others shopping by pushing your shopping cart around a store over and over while purchasing nothing.
• Organize a Christmas Zombie walk – a visual expression of the obsession consumers have with Black Friday deal.

Use #BuyNothingDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Buy Nothing Day originated in Canada in September of 1992 as a way to protest the frenzy of Black Friday shopping.  In 1997 artist Ted Dave founded Buy Nothing Day, and it was moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving to correspond with one of the most popular shopping days in the United States.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

National Bavarian Cream Pie Day – November 27
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NATIONAL BAVARIAN CREAM PIE DAY

Each year on November 27, people across the country celebrate National Bavarian Cream Pie Day.
To make a Bavarian Cream Pie, Bavarian cream, also called crème bavaroise, is poured into a baked pie crust and refrigerated.    French chef Marie Antione Careme, is given credit for the invention of Bavarian cream, which is a gelatin-based pastry cream, that was originally served in gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels, in France, in the early 19th century.
Cream pies are a favorite dessert of many and Bavarian cream pie is gourmet in taste and presentation as it is often topped with shaved chocolate or chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
OBSERVE
Enjoy this “tried and true” Vanilla Bavarian Cream Pie recipe.
Use #BavarianCreamPieDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Within our research, we were unable to find the creator of National Bavarian Cream Pie, an “unofficial” national holiday.
 

Your Welcomegiving Day – Day after Thanksgiving
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YOU’RE WELCOMEGIVING DAY

You’re Welcomegiving Day is celebrated annually on the day after Thanksgiving.  Conventionally when someone thanks us for a kindness or service, we respond by saying, “You’re Welcome.”  So, it was inevitable that the day after Thanksgiving we would begin to celebrate You’re Welomegiving Day.  
OBSERVE
Make sure to say You’re Welcome. Use #You’reWelcomegivingDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Within our research, we were unable to find the creator of You’re Welcomegiving.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

National Day of Listening – Day after Thanksgiving
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NATIONAL DAY OF LISTENING

On the day after Thanksgiving, gather your family and friends and record family history and stories for preservation. Today is the National Day of Listening, a program created by StoryCorps.

 …every life matters equally, every voice matters equally, every story matters equally…  David Isay, founder of StoryCorps

Have you ever wondered what Grandma’s favorite memory is, or how your father got that scar on his brow? What’s the story behind a friend’s nickname?  The National Day of Listening is the day to record these stories with family and friends.
OBSERVE
Interview a friend or family member and record the interview.
StoryCorps provides a DIY guide as well as lists of Great Questions based on who is being interviewed at http://diy.storycorps.org/learn-more/.
There is no format requirement in which the interviews are recorded on National Day of Listening. Whether you record them onto digital devices, a tape recorder or pen and paper, the important part is to record the story for future generations. If you do record in a digital format, you can also upload the recording to StoryCorps’ Wall of Listening or use #NationalDayofListening to post on social media.
HISTORY
In 2008, the non-profit organization, StoryCorps, launched the National Day of Listening as a way to encourage families to set aside the day after Thanksgiving as a time to share and record the history of their family, friends and community.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

Black Friday – Day after Thanksgiving
Image Credit: http://www.fbtb.net

BLACK FRIDAY

In the United States the day after Thanksgiving has become known as Black Friday and is considered the official kick off for holiday shopping.  Retailers across the country slash prices, offer door buster deals on popular big-ticket items and often open in the wee hours of the morning to offer early bird specials.  Dedicated and thrifty shoppers line up outside the stores to be the first to grab that special deal or this season’s popular and hard to find gift.  
OBSERVE
Get out for those amazing Black Friday deals.
There are several ways to maximize your Black Friday shopping success:

• Plan ahead.  Scour the ads both online and in newspapers.
• Prioritize the wish list.  Which item will you save the most if you are able to nab it?
• Check to see if any of the deals are available online.  Why stand in line when you can order from the comfort of your home?
• Compare lists with friends and family. We can’t be in two places at once and not all the deals on your lists will be at the same store.
• Coordinate with your group to divide and conquer.  Work as a team to maximize successful shopping.
• Make sure there isn’t a purchase limit.  If there is, make sure the team for that store is big enough to obtain the required number of bounty.
• Set the alarm clock.  Some of the best Black Friday deals start soon after midnight.
• Dress warm if you are located in the colder regions of the country.
• Pack a snack, a thermos of tea or coffee and maybe even a lawn chair.  Those lines and the wait get long.
• Work in pairs.  You don’t want to lose your place in line if nature calls.

Black Friday shopping just isn’t your style?  That’s okay.  Cyber Monday is just a few days away and all you need for that is an internet connection and a credit card.
Use #BlackFriday to post on social media.
HISTORY
The origin of Black Friday is derived from the enormous amount of sales retailers report which can often bring their profits into the “black”.  Black in accounting is used to describe a business making a profit as opposed to being in the “red” denoting losses.
Within our research, we were unable to find the creator of Black Friday, an “unofficial” national holiday.
DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018
 

Maize Day – Day After Thanksgivng
Image Credit: http://www.gone-ta-pott.com

MAIZE DAY

Maize Day is celebrated annually on the day after Thanksgiving.
Maize Day is a day set aside for all Americans regardless of ethnicity, naturalized citizens, descendants of the first peoples of the Americas or descendants of immigrants to celebrate the common role of corn in these cultures.
Unlike other food and plant life, corn was common across the Americas. It was a central food source used by all the nations and an important part of their every day diet. It is also a day to celebrate the traditional crops and foods of Native Americans.
There are many variety of maize. Some varieties are used to make corn flour, others a best eaten on the cob and still others are perfect for popping.
OBSERVE
Serve a meal featuring ingredients used by Native Americans such as fish, squash, beans, nuts, tomatoes, mushrooms, persimmons, honey, cattail, asparagus, chicory, dandelion and of course maize.  Use #MaizeDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
National Maize Day was started by artist Corinne Lightweaver in 2004.

This holiday began as a small research project through which I intended—with my family—to commemorate the United States holiday of Thanksgiving through the viewpoint of the indigenous people. – Corinne Lightweaver

DATES
November 28, 2014
November 27, 2015
November 25, 2016
November 24, 2017
November 23, 2018