Sometimes we merely hear about them in passing, other times social media blows up with mentions of them. The increasing popularity of days recognizing food items, people or even pets has been astonishing in recent years.
These weird national holidays come up far more often than you think. So which ones need a little more love? And which ones are actually taken seriously? Here are a handful just around the corner, and a few extras to look forward to in the future.
National Star Wars Day, May 4: “May the ‘fourth’ be with you.” Celebrated by super fans across the world, today is the perfect day to play hooky and watch all of the Star Wars films back to back. Or, you can go to Ontario, Canada where the holiday originated, to celebrate.
National Lost Sock Memorial Day, May 9: Killing it in the creativity game. Acknowledge this day for your favorite socks that were once two, but are now one. Unaware of its creator, use this day to dispose of your single socks so that maybe they too can rediscover their other halves in “sock heaven.”
National Love a Tree Day, May 16: One that shouldn’t be too hard to do, show the trees outside of your home some extra love today or even plant a new one. Here are more ways you can celebrate this day.
National Wine Day, May 25: Falling on Memorial Day and Monday night TV, this year could possibly be the best thing to ever happen to this drink. Share your passion with this fan page.
National Leave The Office Early Day, June 2: Marking my calendar. Created by Laura Stack, an employee productivity specialist, as an incentive for employees to get their work done early and take the rest of the day off. Yes, this is real.
National Doughnut Day, June 5: Holding a unique meaning, National Doughnut Day was created by The Salvation Army to honor women who served doughnuts to soldiers in World War I. A fundraiser was held in 1938 with a goal of raising money for the Great Depression. Check out how people celebrate here and here.
National Girlfriends Day, Aug. 1: Celebrate the special bond of friendship with your most beloved sisters, mothers and friends and let them know how much you mean to them. Who run the world? Girlfriends. Find where it actually all began.
National Kid Day, National Family Day and National Friendship Day, Aug. 3: Smart planning, creator of these holidays. Read more about all three here, here and here.
National Cheese Pizza Day and National Bacon Day, Sept. 5: Can you say best day of the year? Check this out to see who really seized the day. 
National Pumpkin Day, Oct. 26: As we should be celebrating this all month long, here is a little way to help you brainstorm your celebration early.
National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day, Nov. 12: The most wildly specific day out there, learn about it here.
National Cookie Day, Dec. 4: Easily the sweetest day of the year, start counting down the days with this as an incentive.