December 17, 2015 – NATIONAL MAPLE SYRUP DAY – NATIONAL RE-GIFTING DAY – WRIGHT BROTHERS DAY

                             NATIONAL MAPLE SYRUP DAY

December 17 is the perfect day to begin the day with pancakes, french toast or biscuits topped off with delicious maple syrup as you celebrate National Maple Syrup Day.
It is usually from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple or black maple trees that maple syrup is made from although it not limited to those maple species.
These trees, in cold climates, store starch in their trunks and in their roots.  In the spring, the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap.  The maple trees are then tapped by boring holes into their trunks and the released sap is collected.  After the sap is collected, it is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.
Maple syrup was first collected, processed and used by the indigenous peoples of North America.  The practice was then adopted by the European settlers who gradually refined production methods.  In the 1970′s further refinements in the syrup processing were made with technological improvements. 

• A maple syrup production farm is called a “sugarbush” or a “sugarwood”.
• Sap is boiled in a “sugar house” which is also known as a “sugar shack”, “sugar shanty” or a “cabane à sucre”.

Up until the 1930′s the United States led in maple syrup production, now Canada is the world’s largest maple syrup producer.
Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States.
OBSERVE
Use #MapleSyrupDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Within our research, we were unable to find the creator or origin of National Maple Syrup Day, an “unofficial” national holiday.

 

National Re-Gifting Day – Thursday Before Christmas

NATIONAL RE-GIFTING DAY

Each year on the Thursday before Christmas people across the United States observe National Re-gifting Day.  This day was chosen in honor of office parties and the unique Christmas gift exchange that they do.  This particular December Thursday appears to be the most common day for companies to hold their annual employee/company Christmas party.
As a method of recycling, approximately 14%, of those surveyed, believe that re-gifting is becoming more popular, for that reason alone.
OBSERVE
While it may be an official holiday in some states, we suggest caution when deciding to re-gift something. The term does suggest, after all, that the item is unwanted to begin with and may be unwanted by its next recipient.
For more information on this day visit the National Day Calendar page for National Re-Gifting Day.
 

Wright Brothers Day – December 17

WRIGHT BROTHERS DAY

By Presidential Proclamation, December 17 is Wright Brothers Day.   The President is requested each year to issue a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
Wright Brothers Day is an annual United States national observation.  It is codified in the US Code and Wright Brothers Day commemorates the first successful flights in a heavier than air, mechanically propelled airplane, that were made by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The Wright brothers were American brothers, inventors and aviation pioneers. 
For more information on this day visit the National Day Calendar page for Wright Brothers Day.