January 12, 2023

Now, we all love to celebrate, when it comes to holiday’s and we basically just got done celebrating some very big ones…Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s. Now you might think, well that’s it until Valentine’s Day, but January is a very auspicious month. Did you know that it’s also International Brain Teasers Month, National Polka Music Month, Oatmeal Month, National Clean Up Your Computer Month, National Cheesy Sock Month, California Dried Plum Digestive Month (what ever that means) and Train Your Dog Month.

I’m also going to give you the heads up on some very special days, that you’ll want to add to your calendar right now.  Tomorrow is National Rubber Duckie Day, now here’s a biggie – January 16^th is Appreciate a Dragon Day, the 19^th is National Popcorn Day, and here’s one you really don’t want to miss- January 21^st is Squirrel Appreciation Day. There’s also, National Measure Your Feet Day on the 23^rd (we can only ask why), National Kazoo Day on the 28^th and on the last Monday of the month, Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

But today, January 12^th  is, to my way of thinking, an extremely noteworthy day, that truly needs to be celebrated – National Hot Tea Day! And as a matter of fact, January is National Hot Tea Month! It’s a good time to celebrate the world’s second most consumed beverage, recognizing, its may diverse types, its health benefits, and its soothing and calming qualities.

So, set the table with a lacey tablecloth, get out that fancy, delicate tea set, that your Great Aunt gave you one year and brew a cup of your favorite tea, sit back and relax as you sip it down. And give a special thanks to Shen Nung, the Chinese Emperor who as legend goes , in 2737 BC, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.