Life
Why You're Justified In Taking A Nap Today
Nap aficionados, rejoice: It's National Public Sleeping Day, so you have an officially sanctioned excuse to fall asleep anywhere you want. On a blanket in an idyllic patch of sunlight at the park? Done. Standing up in line at your local coffee shop? Check. Under the table during an important work meeting? Well, that's universally recognized as the best time to take a nap anyway. I'm not saying it's the best day of the year, but I am saying half of the people reading this probably celebrate it without realizing it, because naps are the greatest activity known to mankind.
All semi-serious jokes aside, naps are seen as the territory of kids and the elderly — despite the sheer volume of people proclaiming their love for sleeping on Instagram, the reality is that most Americans are so woefully sleep-deprived that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has declared insufficient sleep an epidemic. Although adults need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night, the CDC reports that nearly a third of adults get less than six hours on average. Is it any wonder we're all desperately addicted to coffee?
In short, chances are you're sleep-deprived at this very moment — so why not show your patriotism by celebrating National Public Sleeping Day? Go forth and nap, my friends!
Before you break out the sleep mask, though, let's talk about the elephant in the room: National Public Sleeping Day is a pretty strange (and incredibly specific) holiday, and chances are it was made up by a random citizen after they were rudely awakened one too many times during their morning-commute nap. There's no denying it's unusual — but if you think it's the weirdest holiday out there, prepare to have your mind blown. I present to you 12 national holidays even weirder than National Public Sleeping Day.
1. Houseplant Appreciation Day
Date: January 10
2. Kiss a Ginger Day
Date: January 12
3. Winnie The Pooh Day
Date: January 18, creator A. A. Milne's birthday
4. Thank A Mailman Day
Date: February 4
5. Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
Date: March 20
6. National High Five Day
Date: The third Saturday in April
7. Lost Sock Memorial Day
Date: May 9
8. Hug Your Cat Day
Date: June 4, or every day of the year
9. Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day
Date: July 1
10. Middle Child's Day
Date: August 12
11. International Talk Like A Pirate Day
Date: September 19
12. Black Friday
Date: The Friday after American Thanksgiving
Let's face it. Black Friday is the weirdest holiday of them all.
Images: Fotolia; Giphy (8)
