IT’S HERE!   National Chocolate Day! October 28, 2009!

Of course Chocolate deserves quite a bit of attention from a site that devotes itself to celebrating special memories. Chocolate is capable of taking a normal afternoon and turning it into an event all by itself.

Ghirardelli, Dove, Hershey, Nestle, Lindt, Godiva, Milk, Dark, Semi-sweet, White Bittersweet, Unsweetened, Cocoa …chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate fondue, chocolate covered raisins, chocolate syrup, chocolate easter bunnies, chocolate frosting, chocolate truffles, chocolate liquor, chocolate brownies, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate sauce, chocolate martini’s, chocolate mousse, chocolate eclairs, chocolate donuts, Count Chocula, Cocoa Crispies, chocolate fudge, chocolate pudding, chocolate kisses, hot chocolate, chocolate mint …chocolate edible undies! 

Chocolate..once called The Nectar of the Gods!

In looking for the origin of National Chocolate Day, it quickly became obvious that there is more than one National Chocolate Day.  In fact, I found 3 separate dates, in 3 different months in the first 3 minutes of looking. It led me to one conclusion…Chocolate is worth celebrating more than once a year.  

Chocolate is an essential part our lives. We come up with all sort so excuses why we crave it…”I lost my car keys, if I only had some chocolate”…”I’m so nervous about my doctor’s appointment, I’ll just have a quick bag of chocolate covered pretzels”… My hair looks horrible today, GIVE ME THAT CHOCOLATE BAR!”  Let’s be honest…how many of us bought Halloween candy at the beginning of the month under the pretense that we were just shopping early…only to open it, devour  it, and now have to go buy a big bag for the actual trick-or-treaters that will show up at our doors on Saturday night?

In reality, we don’t need an excuse to eat Chocolate.  Did you know that… it is a myth that chocolate aggravates Acne. 10% of the recommended daily allowance of iron is found in one ounce of chocolate or cocoa. You would have to eat more than 12 Hershey Bars to equal the caffeine in 1 cup of coffee. And a single chocolate chip provides enough energy for an adult to walk 150 feet,therefore only 875,000 chips to walk around the world!

So eat up folks. Buy Chocolate today…boost our economy and keep Americans working. I think the importance of chocolate is the one thing that might bring this country together…we can all agree that Chocolate is Life!

Just in case you want more Chocolate holidays to celebrate,  here’s a short list of some SPECIFIC Chocolate days that we won’t want to miss either:

American Chocolate Week–March 14-20

National Milk Chocolate Day–July 28

National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day–November 7

National Chocolate Mint Day–February 19

National Chocolate Chip Day–May 15

National Chocolate Eclair Day–June 22

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day–December 16

National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day–March 24

National Chocolate Custard Month–May 1-31

National Chocolate Pudding Day–June 26

National Chocolate Ice Cream Day–June 7

National Chocolate Milkshake Day–September 12

There are some days that should be celebrated…well…just because you have nothing better to do? That’s National Mole Day! How surprised was I to learn that if had nothing to do with the furry little creatures that we all hope we never actually come across!

The “Mole” in question is a number, specifically  Avogadro’s Number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry.  That’s the only explanation I’m going to give you. If you really want to get the facts, check out the National Mole Day Foundation for more info. I read it all. I’m sorry to say I don’t understand it.  But I’m always up for a good reason to have a party.

Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry. Supposedly schools all over the world celebrate Mole Day.  Again, I don’t remember it from when I was in school. I DID take Chemistry, and I DID pass it.  I swear! Must have skipped class on Mole Day.  Just one more reason to tell my kids that they could miss the good stuff if they skip out of classes.

October 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m.! That’s the time to celebrate Moles! WooHoo!

If you are a Chemist, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for things like plastic, deodorant, and ant killer. Also perfume, Sweet n’low, fabric softener and Neosporin. And now Moles.  

Guess I never paid much attention to Moles before. Though the furry little moles are the bane of many lawn owners, they do make a significant contribution to the health of your lawn. Their extensive tunneling and mound building mixes soil nutrients and improves soil aeration and drainage. Moles also eat many lawn and garden pests, including cranefly larvae and slugs.

Well, now I have a new appreciation for both the number and the animal. I wonder if I can convince anyone in my family that National Mole Day requires gift giving.  Wish me luck!

As a child I loved when it was time to carve the pumpkin! Nothing quite like getting elbow deep in slimey, gooey pumpkin guts!  We always saved the seed too! Dried them out on wax paper, and saved them to be planted in the back yard the next spring.  It was like we were always in preparation and anticipation of Halloween.  What wonderful memories!

I carved many a pumpkin in my day with my 3 “just-about-grown” kids, but with the hot, Florida weather, within less than 48 hours, our creative Jack-o-lanterns were always a pile of MUSH!

I miss having my kids at home to celebrate all the fun holidays.  But don’t worry, I’ve found plenty of things to keep me busy. And I’ve found a great way to make creative pumpkins that won’t  rot overnight!

This year???  Pumpkin Faces of my dearest friends!

What you’ll need:

*Any size pumpkin will do, but I found that a smaller one seems to be good. You can use a real or fake pumpkin. Of course, the fake pumpkins can be used year after year!

*8X10 photo of your friend or family member. Doesn’t have to be printed on photo paper. If you have your photos on your computer, just print on a sheet of white paper.

*Scissors

*Hot glue

Step 1: Print our your photo.

Step 2: Cut out the individual features of your friend…eyes, nose, mouth, hair, ears, etc.

Step 3: Hot glue the face pieces to your pumpkin to re-create the face.

It’s as simple as that! These are so much fun to give as gifts. Can also be made on small pumpkins or gourds and used as place cards on your Halloween dinner table.

Have fun this Halloween!  Stay Safe!  BOO!