Hey, did you celebrate National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day? Well, I’ll bet a lot of people didn’t. Why do we have all of these national days that don’t mean anything? !ere’s no de#nite answer to this question, but a lot of people say it’s just for fun. However, these national days have more meaning behind them. Maybe they’re all just a marketing scheme for businesses to pull in more customers and to make more money. !ere are a lot of di”erent reasons for why and how these themed days came to be. Some were made up by companies just to seek out more money from customers. For example, Nation- al Drive-thru Day was created by the popular fast-food chain Jack In !e Box, and now has become an o%cial holiday. An interesting one was when President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring July 9th National Ice Cream Day. Another way some of these holidays came to be is from traditions from years ago that have just become a recurring cel- ebration on that day of the year. Accord- ing to the National Day Calendar, there are “Nearly 1,500 national days, national weeks, and national months.” !is goes to show how this national day phenomenon has grown over time! Many businesses, speci#cally small businesses use these “National Days” to their advantage. !ey will #nd random days and promote them online and pique people’s interest in their business. Megan Hurst, owner of Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream and Treats in North Wilmington says, “For exam- ple, for National Pajama Day we will say if people want to come in with their pajamas on, they get a dollar o”.” She also adds, “When I am on my way to work I will look up national days online and #nd di”erent national days to use.” !ese di”erent tactics help small businesses like Hurst’s to get more money and to promote their product. Hurst agrees with the idea that these national days are a fun and creative way to bring in business. She asks, “Is it necessary? No, is it fun? Absolutely!” Social media has played a key role in the popularity of nation- al days. From parents posting their children’s photos on “National Son or Daughter Day” to music fans posting their favorite album cover on “Nation- al Vinyl Day,” our new feeds are con- stantly #lled with hashtag promotions. What is your favorite national day, week, or month? Mine is #National- SchoolNewspaperWeek!