Now that the holidays have passed us and we all returned to the cruel harsh reality without jolly tunes or visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads, I think that we could still use a little whimsy and joy.
So, I have made the executive decision to run back the holiday cheer this February! But I’m not just talking about silly little love songs for Valentines Day, or visions of everyone’s favorite president William Henry Harrison to dance in their heads…because honestly that might be terrifying. What song would he even dance to? I like to imagine he’d be really into Ska.
Anyway, so what kind of holiday cheer are we talking about? I’m so glad you asked, dear reader, because much like how I want to run back the whimsy and levity of the holiday season, I am also going to reheat my own nachos from last September and talk about some fun, feel good, and maybe a little fantastical February holidays. Let’s go!
National Flannel Day
Whether or not good ole Punxsutawney Phil declares us to be doomed to a longer winter, we should still remember to bundle up and stay warm. So why not stay warm AND celebrate the wonder that is flannel on February 10th this year! Now it’s common to use plaid and flannel interchangeably. Honestly, I’ve been guilty of that, too. However, if we were to get all technical, flannel refers to the fabric and is not the classic plaid or tartan patterns. (Or if you were on the other side of the pond, it could also just be referring to a washcloth/face cloth.)
Speaking of our friends across the ocean, while the origin of the term “flannel” is uncertain, the oldest use of a material similar to flannel was used in the 16th century in Wales, though the fabric was called Welsh cotton. Since then, though, it has been popularly used on our shores during the Civil War because of how sturdy and inexpensive it was, and also during the 90s grunge movement.
World Whale Day
Making a very smooth segue from the country of Wales, let’s talk about this awesome holiday, World Whale Day! Originally, I was going to write about how February was Humpback Whale Awareness month, but I could never limit my love to just one whale…unless they are Orcas, but that’s neither here nor there. Held on the third Sunday of February every year (February 15th in 2026), we celebrate these amazing titans of the sea from narwhals to pilot whales.
The origins of this holiday begin in 1980 on Maui, when the founder of the Pacific Whale Foundation, Greg Kauffman, wanted to spread awareness about the threat of extinction that humpback whales faced, and honor these beautiful creatures that would swim around the coast of the island. Though now humpback whales have made a great recovery from the brink of extinction, we should still be mindful to respect nature and try and preserve the ocean and all the creatures that inhabit it.
Library Lovers Day
From Wales and whales, we now go down to Australia and New South Wales to talk about this fantastic holiday that originates from down under, though I as a librarian might be a bit biased. Now I would never tell you to cut your Valentine’s Day short this February 14th, but if you find yourself needing a date with a good book, take a trip to the library and celebrate Library Lovers Day!
Originally an event held at the State Library of New South Wales in 2006, it quickly became a national phenomenon as the Australian Library and Information Association joined in the following year to promote their own passion for books and the love of all the services the library has to offer. Some of the fun activities that have been held on this day include having a designated area full of vintage typewriters and pens/paper where patrons could write love letters. There also was a matchmaking form patrons would fill out, and librarians would then suggest books and authors the patrons would enjoy based on the personality traits they listed off! But you don’t have to wait for the 14th to do that at JCLS, because you can always ask for suggestions from the discovery booklist team!
Pluto Day
Let’s all have a moment of silence for our fallen planet, Pluto, who was demoted from planet status back in 2006. No longer will My Very Excellent Mother Just Send Us Nine Pizzas, but that is no reason to not celebrate this very special day on February 18th, the day of its discovery. Though not discovered until 1930, the journey to discovery of this (dwarf) planet began much earlier in the 1840s, when Urbain Le Verrier was using the powers of math to predict the location of the then undiscovered Neptune. He had noticed that something was causing some irregularities with the planet Uranus’s orbit, but even after discovering Neptune, there remained some other disturbances in the force, which led astronomers to hunt for this unknown “Planet X”.
But I’m sure you are wondering about something even more important…how is Ethan going to tie in Whales/Wales into this one? Pluto was discovered in Arizona and named after the god of the underworld, and last I checked Hades/Pluto had a three headed dog, not some whale. Well hold onto your hats, because there actually is a whale on Pluto! Well…not a literal whale, but actually when NASA was mapping out Pluto they noticed a weird dark area along the equator that looked very much like, you guessed it, a whale.
But how cool would it be if there were space whales on Pluto?
National Pokémon Day
Rounding us out for this venture into the whimsical, we have the little pocket monsters themselves, Pokémon! On this day back in 1996, the original games were released and rapidly took the world by storm. This year, we have reached the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, which only makes my back ache with age more and more to think about. So whether you are out taking a stroll and playing Pokémon Go, diving into the latest game Pokémon ZA (which you could borrow from us if you wanted to), or replaying some of your favorite games from yesteryear, take a moment to just relish the nostalgia and try and recapture the fleeting joy that can only come from being a child.
But more importantly, are there whale Pokémon? Well, considering there are a total of about 1,025 Pokémon now (not including regional variants), it would be surprising if there wasn’t! Firstly, there is wailmer and wailord, whose designs are based on blue whales. With wailord being the amongst one of the largest Pokémon at 47 feet! Next up there is Cetoddle and Cetitan, which have their names based off of the infraorder Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. Finally, we have Finizen and Palafin, which are based on dolphins. I know, I know; dolphins? We’re talking about whales! But if we want to be technically correct, which is the best kind of correct, they do fall under the category of Cetaceans in the family Delphinidae, which also includes Orcas, Pilot whales, false killer whales etc., and since I love orcas they get a mention.
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Well, that brings us to the end of our frolic through the fields of February festivities. Of course, these are just some of the holidays, silly or otherwise, that take place during the month. So, I encourage you to take a look at what other holidays are happening this month and celebrate accordingly! Mainly, I want you to find reasons for joy and celebration as we combat the harsh reality of day-to-day life.
Happy Holidays!