15 AWESOME Holidays You Can Celebrate in September

1. September 3rd: National Skyscraper Day
After Labor Day, you can honor the construction workers and engineers who built the world’s modern architectural wonders. One European real estate data company defines a skyscraper as at least 330 feet, while in the United States a building starts to qualify around 500 feet. But, really, any building that towers above its skyline can count if you’re looking to do some gazing in your hometown.

2. September 4th: Eat an Extra Dessert Day
You may have observed this holiday a little early on Labor Day, but go ahead and indulge those residual gluttonous impulses because this holiday gives you the green light. That leftover pie isn’t going to eat itself, so really, it’s the least you can do.

3. September 6th: National Fight Procrastination Day
One of these years we’re going to get around to celebrating.

4. September 8th: National Grandparents Day
Founder Marian McQuade wanted to set aside a special day not only for the lonely elderly but also to encourage grandchildren to “tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents provide.” President Jimmy Carter was so on board with this initiative, he made the first Sunday after Labor Day an official national holiday to honor grandmas and grandpas across the country.

5. September 10th: TV Dinner Day
The TV Dinner was first introduced to consumers in the United States by C.A. Swanson & Sons in the early 1950s. This pre-packaged, frozen meal would not only provide you a whole dinner with the slight flick of an oven — it was also designed for ease of consumption while parked in front of a television screen. Take a stroll down your local supermarket’s frozen food aisle to truly appreciate all the TV Dinner has done for our food options.

6. September 15th: National Felt Hat Day
You may think Robin Hood, you may think 10-gallon cowboy, or you may think fedora — but whatever you think, today you have carte blanche to sport your felt-hat-of-choice with pride. Disclaimer: you may still have to remind people the holiday technically prevents them from mocking your accessory.

7. September 16th: National Stay Away from Seattle Day
You may be surprised to learn that this is actually a very pro-Seattle holiday. Continually deemed one of the best cities to live in America, today was designated to give the city a little breather from all the people rushing to stay there. If only the rain observed holidays, right? If you’re considering Seattle as a destination, temporary or permanent, be a little more considerate than the weather and try to plan around the 16th.

8. September 18th: Rice Krispies Treats Day
A whole day!

9. September 19th: Talk Like a Pirate Day
The establishment of International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th was based on someone’s ex-wife’s birthday. While the date selection might have been arbitrary, the possibilities of TLAPD are endless. If you want to expand your pirate repertoirrrrrr, the official website provides lingo in English, German, Dutch, and even a little Mandarin to provide a truly international annoyance to coworkers and family members.

10. September 21st: World Gratitude Day
In 1977, those hippies at the United Nations Meditation Group established World Gratitude Day to appreciate existence. Even the least existential among us can recognize a thing or two in our lives for which we feel grateful. For example, we feel grateful that you are still reading this article.

11. September 21st: Oktoberfest
Don’t let the “Oktober” part of the name fool you — the 16-day festival of beer, oompa music, and wurst always starts in late September – and this year, it kicks off on the 21st. Though historically a Bavarian celebration held annually in Munich, Oktoberfests have popped up in cities all over the world. Though the holiday started as a royal wedding celebration, it has since been eclipsed by the beer which must adhere to strict German Beer Purity laws (Reinheitsgebot) to be considered official Oktoberfest Beer. Luckily for us non-Germans, globalization has granted us access to such tasty brews in our local corner stores and supermarkets.

12. September 24th: National Punctuation Day
“A celebration of the lowly comma, correctly used quotation marks, and other proper uses of periods, semicolons, and the ever-mysterious ellipsis.” National Punctuation Day gives you the opportunity to dress up your sentences with all kinds of context and accentuation! Or, take the day to remind yourself what a semicolon actually does.

13. September 27th: Hug a Vegetarian Day
Vegetarians need hugs too! In previous years, PETA has set up hugging hotspots throughout the United States and Canada. Folks nice enough to do that certainly deserve a hug, right?

14. September 28th: Drink Beer Day
Finally, an excuse.

15. September 28th: Museum Day
Anyone who has visited the Smithsonian Museums in Washington D.C. knows they are especially awesome because admission is totally free. If you have visited a museum almost anywhere else in the United States, you know they typically cost a pretty penny. On this special Saturday, however, Smithsonian is partnering with museums all over the country to offer free admission on what they have deemed “Museum Day.”

Which AWESOME holidays will you be celebrating this month?