My kindergarten grandson’s favorite number to express gigantic proportions is 139. “Grandmommy, I want you to stay 139 days when you come see me.” Well, in some ways, January felt like it was 139 days long, but on the other hand, it’s hard to believe the calendar has flipped to a new page. Make the most of the shortest month of the year with fun activities with the family. Add these celebrations below to family festivities or make up a few unique family celebrations of your own.
Hot Breakfast Month – Start every morning off right with a healthy breakfast this month. Here’s a recipe you might want to try to celebrate Hot Breakfast Month. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown a 16-ounce tube of sausage. Drain meat and pan completely, then put back into warm pan with one eight ounce block of cream cheese. Stir together until cream cheese melts. Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Line the bottom of the dish with an unrolled tube of crescent rolls. Pinch the perforations together and flatten dough gently to cover the bottom of the dish. Spread the cream cheese and sausage mixture evenly across the dough. Unroll a second tube of crescent rolls and lay the dough on top of the sausage. Center the dough and it will rise to cover the top of the dish as it bakes. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Sweater Day – Well, it’s hard to think about wearing sweaters in recent temperatures, but celebrate this day sometime during the month when it’s really cold outside. Have each member of the family pick out a sweater to wear and take a family selfie. Then go on a shopping spree to purchase new sweaters to donate to a church clothing closet or other organization that accepts clothes for those in need. Drink hot chocolate to end the celebration on a cold winter evening.
Get a Different Name Day – Just for fun, pick new names for everyone in the family. Call each other by that name throughout the day, but before bedtime, revert to original names and share goodnight hugs and words with given names.
Invasive Species Week – Yes, you read that right. There’s a whole week to celebrate – or maybe a better word is acknowledge – invasive species. Plan an afternoon over the weekend to take a long walk or hike. Before you go, look online to find pictures of some of these invasive species: kudzu, chinaberry tree, wisteria (be sure is the non-native wisteria), Bradford pear, English ivy, Chinese privet and tallow tree. On your walk, look for some of these trees, vines, or shrubs. Take pictures to document your hike and identify the greenery you find.
Sled Dog Day – The Iditarod Sled Dog Race takes place annually in Alaska for a number of reasons, but most notably to commemorate the delivery of medicine in 1925 via sled dogs during the Nome, Alaska diphtheria epidemic. Sledders and their dogs will mush from February 27 to March 6. To celebrate the day, read some of these books for all ages: Dogs on the Trail: A Year in the Life by Blair Braverman, Togo and Balto:The Dogs Who Saved a Town by Jodie Parachini, Storm Run by Libby Riddles, Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod by Robert J. Blake, chapter book Sled Dog School by Terry Lynn Johnson, the photography-rich book Iditarod: The Great Race to Nome by Bill Sherwonit, and a longer book Born to Pull: the Glory of Sled Dogs by Bob Cary.
How’s your 2025 Bucket List shaping up? Did you do all that you wanted to do in January? There’s still plenty of time to carry out all those fun family activities you planned, but don’t wait too long – the clock is ticking! February will be over before we can blink twice if we’re not careful!!
Statesboro native Julie Lavender is the author of A Gingerbread House and other books and enjoys spending time with her husband, David, their four kids, two sons-in-love, and three grandchildren.