Super Bowls are the same and different in two important ways.

They are different—call me Captain Obvious—in that the teams vary from year to year. And even if it were the very same two teams, the players would be different in the lineups.

This year’s championship will be played on Sunday, February 8, in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Santa Clara, in case your Left Coast geography is a little rusty, is part of the greater San Jose area and is where the San Francisco team plays.

Why does a San Francisco team play in San Jose? For the same reason, the New York teams play in New Jersey: They needed better corporate luxury seats. This is America, after all, and this is a game for millionaire players and billionaire owners.

There’s also the fact that the stadium won’t be busy since San Francisco won’t be using it on Super Bowl Sunday, anyway.

This year’s combatants will, in fact, be the Seattle Seahawks and the hated New England Patriots.

I say hated because I am a lifelong Miami Dolphins fan, and Dolfans hate, hate, hate New England because of the way Tom Brady used deflated footballs, and we do not condone cheating. When we get edged out of the playoffs year after year after year, we do it with integrity.

Anyway, back to why all championship games are the same. It’s because the annual gladiatorial contest traces its roots to ancient Rome. How else to explain the National Football League’s Roman numeral fetish? It’s kind of weird, really.

The World Series, in contrast, is simply known by the year in which it is played, which is the same year as the regular season.

Football, for reasons having to do with millionaires and billionaires and grubbing as many ticket sales and TV ads as possible, doesn’t end sensibly at the end of the calendar year. No, it has to spill over into January and, for the big game, February.

If they just stretched it out a little longer, they could bump up against Spring Training, which this year begins on February 20.

So, the NFL, because this is all so confusing, decided way back in the distant past, even before the Dolphins stopped attending playoff games, to use the aforementioned Roman numerals.

This year’s big matchup will be Super Bowl LX (or 60), which is far more dignified than last year’s LIX, which sounded a little suggestive if you asked me. Which, of course, you didn’t.

Onward

February 5. National Shower with a Friend Day. The theoretical inspiration for this holiday is ostensibly to save water. But it does stand as a stark counterpoint to Shower with an Enemy Day, which doesn’t, as far as I know, exist.

February 6. Lame Duck Day. This holiday celebrates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s last year in public office. Well, okay, it doesn’t. It actually marks the signing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, which shortened the amount of time presidents, senators and representatives got to spend in office after elections.

February 7. Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. It’s silly, of course, but if you are a morning yogurt, fruit and granola kind of guy like me, just substitute ice cream for the yogurt and you can still pretend it’s healthy.

February 8. Super Bowl. This year’s halftime show headliner is Bad Bunny, which will be interesting given our current political climate, since Bad Bunny is an outspoken critic of ICE.

February 9. National Pizza Day. And in case you were wondering, yes, it is not only okay, but desirable, to add pineapple to pizza. Have some with your ice cream for breakfast.

February 10. Umbrella Day. For readers of our London Edition, it is known as Brolly Day. You are also allowed to call it a bumbershoot for reasons too obscure to dwell upon.

February 11. Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day. Chin up. Things will get better. That’s what this day is about, not literally, the actual spillage of milk. Although if you are in a contrarian frame of mind and in need of a good cry, I suppose you could tip a glass over. You be you.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2026, J.C.Bruce

We’re about to flip the calendar to February, the oddest month of the year.

Why is it weird? Is it because of the strange spelling in which nobody pronounces the first “r”? Yes and no.

The real reason it’s such an outlier is that it only has 28 days. All the other months have 30 or 31.

Even in leap years, when February gains an extra day, it still only has 29.

Why is that?

After all, we could easily borrow a day from, say, January and May each, and move them to poor, shortchanged February and make it a 30-day month like so many others.

In fact, were we to do so, we’d end up with five months with 31 days and seven months with 30—a much tidier affair.

Sure, once every four years, we’d have to add an extra day somewhere (it takes our planet 365 and a quarter days to orbit the Sun). But just make February 31 days in those years. Or plop the extra day anywhere you want.

So, how did February get the short end of the calendar?

Blame the Romans and their superstitions.

Way back when, even before Julius Caesar found himself on the receiving end of 23 blades, Romans had a hard time figuring out how long a year actually was and how to divide it up. At one point, they devised a calendar with 10 months of 29 or 31 days each (they hated, hated even numbers—made them jittery for some reason).

The problem with that calendar is that it shortchanged the length of the year by about 60 days, which they just sort of wrote off as “winter.” It was a truly horrible calendar.

Caesar, before they turned him into a pincushion, more or less fixed that—although it was tweaked a bit later by a pope named Greg (it’s why we call our current calendar the Gregorian calendar).

But both Julius and Greg left February with a measly 28 days, mostly because February 28 was superstitiously chosen as a day to honor the deceased, it being an unlucky even number and all.

(Why they didn’t do their Day of the Dead thing on Halloween like everyone else is a mystery.)

So, here we are centuries later, still stuck with a 28-day-month all because of some irrational Romans.

It’s a little frustrating because it would be so easy to fix. But, in fairness, that would ruin the little memory ditty we were taught as kids to recall the days in the months:

“Thirty days have September, April, June and November. All the rest have 31 except for February, which has 28 and sometimes 29 because the ancient Romans were a bunch of fraidy cats.”

Or something like that.

Onward

Jan. 29 is Curmudgeons Day, a time to recognize all the cranky and fussy people who complicate our lives, like editors who insist we follow rigid rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation, which makes it fun to see what we can slip past them.

Jan. 30. Today is Yodel for Your Neighbors Day. According to organizers, wandering around yodeling at people will “motivate you to get to know people around you better.” One thing you’ll learn, I imagine, is how fast they can run away from you.

Jan. 31 is Backwards Day. .try a it Give .creativity of act an as today order reverse in everything do to is idea The

Feb. 1 is the first day of Black History Month, an annual celebration of the achievements, history and cultural impact of African Americans in the United States. There are numerous famous Black Floridians, and here’s one you can share with your friends: The first Black millionaire in Florida was Abraham Lincoln Lewis, who founded the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in 1901.

Feb. 2. It’s Groundhog Day. In Punxsutawney, PA, today, a very large rodent named Phil will be set outdoors to see his shadow. If he sees it, Daylight Saving Time will begin on March 8, or something like that.

Feb. 3. This is the winter’s midpoint, the 45^th day of the season. Spring begins in another 45 days, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says.

Feb. 4. World Read Aloud Day.

Note to readers from J.C. Bruce’s curmudgeonly editor: He thought he could cleverly slip one by me by deliberately misspelling “grammer” in the item above. I showed him! Grrrrr.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures, which make great books to read aloud. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order his books. Copyright, 2026, J.C.Bruce

A very significant holiday is fast approaching, and I have a crisis on my hands.

It’s National Kazoo Day, which arrives, as it does every year, on Jan. 28.

My crisis? Well, last year, National Kazoo Day slipped right by me, which I viewed as a lost social media opportunity. I had this notion that I would grab my kazoo and hum a few tunes on TikTok to celebrate the holiday, which would be a huge hit, and I would go viral, get famous, and make tons of money as the Kazoo Day King.

Or something.

Well, okay, I wasn’t really that ambitious or deluded, but I did think playing the kazoo online would be a hoot.

Small problem: I didn’t happen to own a kazoo. Actually, I don’t own any musical instruments, not even a harmonica.

But I figured Amazon could solve that problem. And it did. In spades.

Next thing you know, there was a bag of 20 kazoos on my doorstep. I imagine it’s possible to order a single kazoo—I haven’t inquired lately, and I really hate to interrupt typing this column to do any actual fact checking—but they were cheap. Something like ten bucks if I remember correctly—which is an issue we are about to address.

Yeah, my memory. See, National Kazoo Day is about to arrive, and that bag of kazoos I ordered can now be put to good purpose, but there’s a small problem:

It was a whole year ago they arrived. I remember taking a few out of that bag, and I am embarrassed to confess that I actually had to go online to figure out how to play the silly things. And, no, you don’t blow through them like a harmonica, which is what I had assumed, never having previously kazooed

You hum.

So, I hummed a few tunes around the house—Ringo Starr’s Yellow Submarine, my personal fave—until my wife begged me to stop. Then I stashed my bag of kazoos in a safe place to be retrieved later so I could, finally, pursue my dream as a social media kazoo celeb.

I’m sure you’re already ahead of me. That’s right, I have no idea where I hid them.

And now National Kazoo Day is rapidly approaching, and I am kazoo-less.

I am definitely not humming a happy tune right now.

Maybe I’ll start a GoFundMe to reacquire the missing instruments, or maybe, just maybe, I could root around the landfill that is my office and actually find them. But that could take forever. Which is why cleaning my office was NOT one of my New Year’s resolutions.

And, besides, National Clean Your Desk Day was Jan. 12, so it’s too late for that now.

But why look when you can ask?

So, I trooped downstairs and asked She Who Must Be Obeyed: “Oh, Sandy, dear, have you seen my kazoos?”

To which she replied: “You’re not right.”

Looking Ahead

January 23. National Pie Day. Not to be confused with National Pi Day, which is on March 14 (because, you know, 3.14). What’s the best pie? Opinions vary, naturally, but top contenders are Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan and Key Line—a Florida fave.

January 24. Beer Can Appreciation Day. This sounds odd, I know. But I actually have two beer cans in my office, twisted, soldered into a camera and a car, made in Havana from Bucanero Fuerte beer cans. (Bucanero is very good, by the way.)

January 25. Opposite Day. So, here’s how this works. All day long, you say the opposite of what you mean. You walk up to someone and say goodbye instead of hello, for instance. You do this all day long to everyone you meet until the guys with straightjackets show up. Then you run.

January 26. It’s Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Popping bubble wrap can be an effective stress reliever. It’s also a great way to clear a room.

January 27 is Punch the Clock Day. And where do you punch a clock? In the face, of course.

January 28. National Kazoo Day has arrived, and here are eight songs by famous musicians and bands that actually feature the kazoo:

• “When I Get to Heaven” – John Prine.

• “San Francisco Bay Blues (Live Acoustic)” – Eric Clapton.

• “Cool, Calm And Collected” – The Rolling Stones.

• “Skinned” – Blind Melon.

• “You’re Sixteen” – Ringo Starr.

• “Corporal Clegg” – Pink Floyd.

• “Jugband Blues” – Pink Floyd.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2026, J.C.Bruce.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the only federal holiday celebrating the life of a Black American, arrives on the third Monday in January, which is Jan. 19, 2026.

In his short 39 years of life, King did more to advance the cause of freedom and justice in this country than most presidents or other elected leaders have over the course of their lifetimes.

While he never held public office, King led the nonviolent fight against racial discrimination that ultimately led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

He was the victim of illegal FBI persecution (sound familiar?), was jailed several times, but never gave up.

In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting racial injustice—and he didn’t even have to lobby and beg for it like some people.

Posthumously, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, and in 2011, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was dedicated on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The federal holiday bearing his name was first observed in 1986.

King was an American hero. He fought—and died—for the most fundamental value of the United States: Freedom.

As a Christian minister, he championed the welfare of the poor. Indeed, he was planning a peaceful occupation of the nation’s capital to be called the Poor People’s Campaign when he was gunned down in Memphis in 1968.

He may be gone, but his legacy lives on, while the struggle against injustice continues.

His “I Have a Dream” speech is considered one of the most important in U.S. history, spoken of in the same breath as the words of Lincoln and Jefferson in terms of shaping the nation’s identity, according to “American Rhetoric.”

He was born on January 15, 1929, and would have been 97 years young this month. MLK Day moves around the calendar a bit each year so that it falls on a Monday, making a three-day weekend.

Enjoy the day off, if you get it.

Onward thru the Fog

To be the smartest person in the room—or the Zoom—use this helpful daily trivia to impress your friends and annoy your frenemies.

January 15 is National Pothole Day. Potholes are more of a problem up north, where roads freeze and crack. Here in Florida, we have something far more exciting: Sinkholes. They sometimes are so big they eat entire houses. There is no National Sinkhole Day. But there is Sinkhole de Mayo.

January 16. Book Publishers Day. Without publishers, Barnes and Noble would be empty and Jeff Bezos never would have gotten rich. Amazon, which he founded, started as a bookstore in 1994.

January 17. Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day. Most people give up about this time. You don’t have to be among them, but if you do, you’re not alone.

January 18. National Thesaurus Day. It’s a great, wonderful, stupendous, marvelous, fabulous time to celebrate words.

January 19. MLK Day is, in addition to a federal holiday, a state holiday in Florida. Then, again, the Free State of Florida also recognizes Jan. 19 as the traitor Robert E. Lee’s birthday. The struggle continues.

January 19 is also Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. In addition to his famous poem, “The Raven,” he was a champion swimmer who once swam six miles upriver. The Baltimore Ravens football team adopted their name from his poem.

January 20. National Penguin Day. There is no truth to the rumor that the Free State of Florida, in the wake of its successful annual bear hunt, plans a penguin hunt. There are no native penguins in Florida or the rest of the United States, for that matter.

January 21. National Hugging Day. Here’s how you do it. Just wander over to some place where people gather—say, the nearest shopping mall—and walk up to a perfect stranger and ask if you can give them a hug. You might be surprised, startled, shocked, bewildered by the reaction you get. Let us know how it goes.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2026, J.C. Bruce

We are now officially in the second quarter of the 21^st century.

Isn’t it amazing how time flies? It seems like only 25 years ago we were all panicked about the impending Y2K calamity.

For those too young to recall this perilous moment in our world’s history, a refresher:

Back when computer programs were first created in the mid-20^th century, they didn’t have the powerful chips we have today. Silicon hadn’t been invented yet, and chips were carved out of elephant tusks.

Oh, wait, scratch that. That was ChatGPT acting up again. Silicon was invented—it’s sand, after all—the chips just weren’t very good.

Anyway, the upshot was that computers had very limited memory, so programmers, to save space, cheated on dates.

So, instead of, say, “1967,” programmers just used “67.”

Which worked fine until the year 2000 approached, and everyone lost their minds fearing computers would think it was the year “00.”

Planes would fall out of the sky, banks would collapse, and microwave ovens would never turn off.

Everyone panicked. It was like hurricane season in Florida, but all over the world. People began stockpiling toilet paper, bottled water, and ammunition for the chaos ahead.

The world was going mad, and supermarket tabloids were publishing headlines such as: “Is This The End?” and “ARMAGEDDON” and “Bracing for the End Times.”

But quietly, without fanfare, computer programmers took a look at the problem and said: “Oh, a bug, let’s fix it.” And they did.

Then everybody partied like it was 1999, because it was. The computer clocks rolled over to the new year, and all was well. Except for the hangovers.

(But it was great practice for how to panic, which paid big dividends a few years later when there was, in fact, a genuine need to hoard toilet paper and bottled water when COVID-19 struck. But that’s another story.)

One of the big debates as the year 2000 neared was when the new century actually started.

Was it the year 2000 or the year 2001?

This is vital, because if the answer were 2000, then I should have written this column a year ago. But after much debate and discussion and discourse and—I’m running out of alliterations now—it was determined that the new century, never mind the Y2K issue, started in 2001.

This is because there was no Year Zero. Why? Incredibly, the numeral zero wasn’t invented until sometime between the 5^th and 7^th centuries. (I kid you not.)

So, the first year of what we now call the Common Era (as opposed AD, for Anno Domini, which is no longer in style) was year 1. So new centuries subsequently roll over in years ending in 01.

And let’s hope all the computer programmers have taken this into account so we won’t have another issue 75 years from now.

Onward through the fog

To be the smartest person in the room—or the Zoom—you need to be aware of these milestones for the coming week.

Jan. 9 is Play God Day. No, this isn’t for malignant narcissists who really believe they are deities. It’s for ordinary—read that, sane—people to take the day and spread blessings and goodness through good deeds.

Jan. 10 is Houseplant Appreciation Day. Plants are pretty, although a bit demanding in that just like cats and dogs they demand water. Still, studies show indoor plants have a calming effect, although their alleged abilities to purify the air are exaggerated.

Jan. 11 is Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day. It might also be a good time to check your health insurance policy before you choose to do so.

Jan. 12 is National Hot Tea Day. Here’s how I prefer my hot tea: I brew it, then pour it over ice.

Jan. 13 is International Skeptics Day. Or so I read online. But I have my doubts.

Jan. 14 is Dress Up Your Pet Day. I suppose you could also dress up your houseplant, although caution would be advisable if your plant happens to be a Venus Flytrap.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. When he’s not writing, he’s in training for the International Underwater Ping-Pong Championships. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order your very own copies of his books. Copyright, 2026, J.C. Bruce.

In last week’s column, we discussed coming up with a concept of a plan for your New Year’s resolutions.

Planning to plan is always a good first step.

In fact, you can consider it a pre-New Year’s resolution, and the fact that you are reading this means you are already pre-planning and can check that off your list.

Congratulations!

Now we are moving on from pre-planning to actual goal setting.

New Year’s resolutions are deeply personal matters. In fact, in some cultures—the people of my native village of Miami, for instance—it is considered bad juju to share your goals lest you jinx them.

We’ve already discussed the need to keep your list brief, measurable, and doable. But it can be helpful to model other people’s success stories.

What are the resolutions that prove achievable? Exhaustive research has resulted in no consensus list. But here are a handful of goals that continue to pop up whenever we ask the question: What New Year’s goals actually work?

In no particular order:

Drink one extra glass of water each day. Water is good for you. In fact, your body is about 60 percent water—unless you’re my friend Ray, who is 20 percent water and 40 percent bourbon. Let’s face it, if you can’t succeed at drinking a glass of water, you might want to stop right here because the rest of these goals do not get easier.

Read a book. Even if it is only one. Reading is good for your brain, so much better than social media. It builds neurons. And if you don’t know what a neuron is, then you definitely need to start reading more. The big question is fiction or nonfiction? Sure, you could tackle a hilarious, literate, adventuresome Florida-themed book like one of mine, but I don’t want to drift into shilling my own stuff. There are other writers out there, too. I suppose.

Call a friend instead of texting. Yes, I know, this is a toughie. And very old-fashioned. Texting is so convenient, no need for drawn-out conversation, and as long as you don’t start to reply and those little typing bubbles give you away, you can always pretend not to have seen his or her or their message. But all the research shows that adding human connections to your life increases longevity. Of course, it depends on the human.

Practice deep breathing when stressed. Breathing is good for you. In fact, if you stop breathing, there’s an excellent chance the next time someone tries to text you, you won’t have to worry about dodging them at all.

Add one vegetable to a meal each day. It is alleged by so-called health experts that veggies are good for you. So, this is one of those very doable goals. Tell the counter person at Five Guys you want extra pickles on your double cheeseburger. Job done!

Learn how to fake sincerity like a normal human with a semblance of empathy. Sure, it’s tough. But start with finding something nice to say to someone each day and not crack up laughing. You can do it!

So glad to have been of help. Now, it’s time to make those goals for yourself. Good luck! And I mean that sincerely.

Looking Ahead

A quick look at upcoming events and holidays that, in a pinch, you can share with your friends—or frenemies—so they’ll think you are the smartest person in the room—or the Zoom.

January 3 is Fruitcake Toss Day. But only if it is not a rum-infused fruitcake. They are immortal.

January 4 is National Spaghetti Day, for both lovers of Italian food and Pastafarians, members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

January 5. National Whipped Cream Day. How you choose to enjoy your whipped cream is all up to you. We do not judge.

January 6. National Take Down the Christmas Tree Day. This is where celebrants of Festivus have it all over the rest of us because they just use a metal pole.

January 7. I’m Not Going to Take it Anymore Day. A time for a fresh start. In fact, you can decide to start your New Year’s resolutions today. Cast off the old, embrace the new you. And all that.

January 8. Fiesta Bowl. College football championship semifinal game in Phoenix. 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN.

January 9. Peach Bowl. College football championship semifinal game in Atlanta. 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2025, J.C.Bruce

Well, Christmas has finally arrived, and a new year looms.

Once we’re finished opening our presents and jamming the boxes and wrapping paper into the recycle bin, it will be time to begin our annual effort at self-improvement.

Yes, it’s time to start planning to plan our New Year’s resolutions.

The first people to make these resolutions were the ancient Babylonians, who 4,000 years ago celebrated the start of the new year in mid-March.

As you can see, they totally got things off to a bad start by using a defective calendar. Still, these pioneers of self-improvement vowed to do three things with the annual flip of the calendar page:

1. Pay their debts.

2. Return all borrowed objects.

3. Live forever

It is unknown how successful your average Babylonian was at achieving those first two goals, but they totally flopped on the third one, marking the first time—but not the last—when unrealistic New Year’s resolutions ended in frustration.

So, should we just give up?

Studies show that between 80 and 90 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail in the first few weeks. One of the reasons this happens is, like the Babylonians of old, we are too ambitious in our goal setting.

How to be successful?

Here are my favorite bits of advice gleaned from extensive research (meaning I browsed the internet while writing this):

Narrow your goals. For instance, instead of resolving to “lose the pot belly,” make a goal to, say, “get down to that 215 pounds I claimed I weighed.”

Break each goal into smaller, more achievable parts. Using the weight loss example, break it into, say, fifty smaller goals of losing a pound a week.

And be specific. How will you lose a pound a week? More time walking; less time in the golf cart? Cutting back on the cheeseburgers? Write down what you’re willing to do and what you’re going to give up to make it happen.

Keep your list small. Achieving even one goal can be a huge boost to most people’s self-esteem, and who among us doesn’t need that?

And while you’re planning to plan your resolutions for the coming year, here are a few things to know about the remaining days of 2025:

This Weekend

December 27 is National Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day. This is a special holiday in South Florida where children are encouraged to enter the imaginary world in which ice crystals mysteriously fall from the sky, no two looking exactly alike.

But are snowflakes real? Any children living here who have never left South Florida wouldn’t know for sure.

We haven’t had a snowfall hereabouts in living memory—although there are rumors that maybe a few decades ago snowflakes were spotted in Miami, which isn’t as sheltered from the cold as Florida’s west coast and the warm breezes of the Gulf of Mexico.

December 28. Pledge of Allegiance Day. The pledge was originally written by Captain George T. Balch, a Civil War veteran. It read:

“We give our heads and hearts to God and our country; one country, one language, one flag!”

Today’s pledge, of course, is directed at the American flag itself, and there is no mention of “one language.”

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Careful readers will note that neither version suggests that those taking the pledge are swearing allegiance to any elected politician, president, or whatever. That’s because we are a Republic, not a monarchy.

The Rest of December

December 29. Tick Tok Day. This refers to the clock, not the social media app, which, shockingly, is still around even though it has been officially banned by the federal government for the past year. Tick Tock Day is a reminder to finish your unfinished business for the year.

December 30. Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Minute. Yet another reminder that the clock is ticking down to the new year, and this is your last chance to do something worthwhile in 2025.

December 31. New Year’s Eve. By now you should have finished planning to plan your resolutions, and it’s time to celebrate by tuning in the TV to watch hordes of freezing, uncomfortable people crammed into Times Square for hours on end without bathrooms to observe a bejeweled ball drop from a building. So much fun!

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2025, J.C.Bruce

We have now officially entered the final week before Christmas, so time is running out to help Santa find just the right presents to place under that artificial, fully illuminated, LED-powered Christmas tree, the one with perfectly shaped PVC needles indistinguishable from a real dead conifer.

Studies show that about 30 percent of shoppers wait until the final week before St. Nick’s arrival to make their holiday purchases. This is especially true for men and younger demographics, meaning Generation Zs and Generation Alphas, all born after 1997, meaning some of the earliest joys of their childhood included the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and Nickelback.

As it turns out, Christmas Eve Eve—Dec. 23—is often the busiest shopping day of the season. But if you wait that long, you’d better hope those Amazon drivers don’t call in sick.

Speaking of which, I asked Amazon for a list of the most popular Christmas gifts this year. And the best seller is (drumroll):

“The Comfy Original Sherpa Lined Microfiber Fleece Wearable Blanket, Oversized Design with Hood and Pocket.”

Yes! Who among us has not put a wearable blanket at the top of our wish list to Santa?

Imagine those chilly winter evenings by the fire, wrapped in your very own blanket lined with genuine Sherpas, which, until now, I thought were mountain guides on Mount Everest.

Of course, to get the most out of that experience, you’ll also need to imagine yourself somewhere besides Florida unless you plan on further enriching Florida Power & Light by turning your AC down low enough you don’t get all your Sherpa’s sweaty.

And nobody wants a sweaty Sherpa at Christmastime.

This Weekend

December 20. National Sangria Day. This may help you get through the busy weekend of Christmas shopping. The word “sangria” comes from the Spanish meaning “blood” because of the drink’s deep red color. There is also white sangria. It’s called anemic sangria.

December 21. Today is the first day of winter, the coldest season of the year. It begins with the winter solstice, the day with the fewest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere. You do not have to adjust your clocks for this.

This also unofficially starts the countdown to the new year. There are only 10 days left in 2025.

The Week Ahead

December 22. Today is National Short Person Day, a time to celebrate those who are vertically challenged. This could apply to Kris Kringle. Nobody’s sure because he’s done a world-class job at clandestine operations, and nobody has actually spotted him or his reindeer. Klingon stealth technology may be involved.

It is also the last day of Hanukkah.

December 23. It’s Festivus! This annual made-up holiday was concocted by the family of Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keefe and aired as an episode of the show in 1997. Created as a counterpoint to the excesses of Christmas, Festivus involves a plain aluminum pole (instead of a Christmas tree) and is a time for wrestling, meatloaf eating, and airing of grievances.

December 24. Christmas Eve. Depending upon where you live, Santa arrives on Christmas Eve, or he sneaks into your house in the dead of night on Dec. 25 while you sleep. It is appropriate to leave milk and cookies out for the jolly old elf. Chocolate chip cookies, of course.

December 25. Christmas, of course, celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, although his actual birthday is unknown. The celebration morphed from the ancient Roman holiday of Saturnalia, celebrating Saturn, the god of agriculture. As Rome merged the burgeoning religion of Christianity into its polytheistic culture, Saturnalia seemed a good time to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.

December 26. For our few remaining Canadian visitors, we note that today is Boxing Day, a popular celebration around the British Commonwealth where rich people like the Crawley family in Downton Abbey give gifts to the downstairs people who keep their mansion running. In America, this is informally known as re-boxing day, a time to prepare your Amazon returns and set aside unwanted presents for next year’s re-gifting.

December 26 is also the start of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration of African American culture culminating in a communal feast called Karamu. Created in the 1960s, many people celebrate Kwanzaa and Christmas together.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and Florida. Check out his website, jcbruce.com (www.jcbruce.com/p/books), for details on how to order copies of his books, which make dandy Christmas presents. Copyright, 2025, J.C.Bruce

In just a couple of weeks, Santa will be sliding down our chimneys with bags of toys, which would be a neat trick at my house, as our humble abode’s electric fireplace is smokestack-free.

So how does Santa gain entry in the absence of a functioning chimney? Short of breaking and entering, I mean.

Nobody knows for sure. This is because Santa is super-secretive about his clandestine methods, and he takes great care not to be discovered during his nightly visits. This is an especially good idea in heavily armed Florida, and our stand-your-ground gunfighting laws.

Add to that our tradition on all major holidays of unloading our firearms heavenward in celebration, it’s a miracle Dasher, Dancer and the rest of the team haven’t already been strafed out of the Christmas Eve skies.

I called the North Pole to see if I could get it straight from the Head Elf himself, but was transferred to Santa’s Workshop Customer Service Experience Hotline, where I was put on endless hold listening to baritonal renditions of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” until I lost my will to live.

So, I turned to the never-wrong internet for an answer, but came away as confused as ever.

Some theorize that Santa has a magic key he uses to gain entry in the absence of a chimney to drop down. I suppose he also has a magic burglar alarm neutralizer, too.

Others suggest he vaporizes himself into smoke or mist and flows inside through cracks under the doors or windows. Or, since this is Florida, the air conditioner intake. (Can you just imagine the puff of smoke as Santa flows out of the ceiling vent?)

Then there’s the “dematerialization” theory, where Santa, essentially, uses his version of the Starship Enterprise’s transporter to beam himself into the house. And when it’s time to leave, I imagine him on his communicator: “Beam me up, Rudolph.”

But my fave is the notion that St. Nick conjures a magical chimney out of thin air that he then slides down.

When I was a kid, Santa came down a real chimney like he’s supposed to.

We had an actual wood-burning fireplace, and my sister and I always made our parents extinguish the fire before Santa arrived.

We also put out a big plate of cookies, which were always gone by morning. And that’s how we knew then—and still today—that Santa is real. And in need of a shot of Ozempic.

This Weekend

December 13. This is the start of the penultimate Christmas shopping weekend, so if you haven’t begun your annual buying binge, this weekend’s your second-to-last chance to rack up some serious credit card debt.

December 14. There is more than one religious tradition celebrated this month. Hanukkah begins this evening and lasts until Dec. 22. The eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights involves lighting the menorah, playing dreidel and eating delicious foods like latkes.

The Week Ahead

December 15 is Bill of Rights Day, celebrating the signing of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution in 1791. As originally written, there were actually 12 amendments, but the first two were not ratified by the states.

One would have required a representative in Congress for every 30,000 people. If it had been approved, not even Donald Trump’s new ballroom would have held them all today.

The other had to do with how members of Congress could decide how much they were paid. So, the First Amendment—freedom of the press—was not top of mind for the Founders. It was their paychecks. And we wonder why we’re so cynical.

December16. National Chocolate Covered Anything Day. Chocolate is good for you. It stimulates your brain’s production of serotonin, a chemical that makes you happy and lets you type really fast. Which is why I always eat chocolate while I write.

December 17. Wright Brothers Day. It was on this day in 1903 that two Dayton, Ohio, brothers launched the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft. First flight was in Kitty Hawk, N.C. There were no baggage fees.

December 18. National Re-gifting Day is always the Thursday before Christmas. The idea is to wrap up that unwanted present you got last year—maybe at your office party—and give it to someone else. And, yes, this even applies to alcohol-infused fruitcakes as they are immortal and never go stale.

December 19. Today is both Ugly Christmas Sweater Day and National Underdog Day. They work together because an underdog is someone likely to wear an ugly Christmas sweater.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2025, J.C.Bruce

If you’re a bear in Florida, the odds of you living to ring in the new year are somewhat diminished now that hunting season is about to open on Dec. 6.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are approximately 4,051 black bears in the state, and that is approximately 172 too many.

How they go about that approximating involves complicated computational programming assisted by Al Gore Rhythms—the name of the band the estimator listened to while throwing darts at sticky notes on his office wall, each with a number ranging from 1 to 200.

Tough luck for the bears that the winning dart didn’t land on a smaller number.

Now, I don’t mean to make light of this. Serious people are deeply upset about restarting bear hunting in the state, and that allowing 172 to be killed is a travesty.

Oh, excuse me. We don’t call it a “killing.” We call it “harvesting.”

But will “harvesting” 172 bears really do anything meaningful to control the bear population? As if it needs controlling?

You are entitled to be doubtful.

Is it more likely that this is all about giving hunters something new and exciting for target practice? That sounds more likely.

Now, I realize other columnists here at “Florida Weekly” have waxed eloquently on this subject, one going so far as to suggest that if shooting helpless woodland critters were really sporting, hunters would venture unclothed into the wilderness armed only with Bowie knives.

Cue the banjo music.

But let’s be honest: A bunch of naked Florida Men roaming the countryside with knives might not be the best look for a state whose economy relies on family-friendly tourism. Can you imagine the reaction:

Little Susie: “Mommy, why is that man’s bottom showing?”

Mother: “He’s a hunter, honey.”

Dad: “Actually, he’s a harvester.”

Mother: “Must you?”

Little Susie: “Please, Mommy and Daddy, no more fighting. Can we just go buy a baby gator head like you promised?”

Or, instead of tromping into the woods chasing furry creatures, if hunters really wanted to be useful, they’d don their waders and splash into the Everglades and stalk some pythons.

I personally estimate—using my own darts—that there are over 2 million pythons in Florida right now. Worrying about a few bears is silly next to a real threat like that.

This Weekend

December 6. In addition to the opening of hunting season, today is National Gazpacho Day. It refers to the cold raw vegetable soup, not U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s 2022 reference to Nancy Pelosi’s “gazpacho police” spying on members of Congress. This happened shortly after discovering Jewish space lasers were starting forest fires.

December 7. National Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance, honoring the lives lost on this “day that will live in infamy” in 1941, launching the United States into World War II. More than 2,400 Americans died in that sneak attack.

The Week Ahead

December 8. Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day. This is a great way to make new friends. Pick out a stranger at the mall, for instance, and walk up to them and say something like: “Hi, I’m from the year 2525, and man is still alive. My flux capacitor is out of fuel. Can I borrow some hydrogen from you?” You’ll be amazed at what happens.

December 9. Today is Christmas Card Day, honoring the invention of the Christmas card in 1843 by Henry Cole in England, who was sick and tired of writing individual letters to his friends. For this, he was knighted by Queen Victoria, who may (or may not) have been sick of writing Christmas letters too.

If you are among those sending cards this year, you can forward them through the town of Christmas, Florida, where they will be officially stamped by the Post Office as coming from “Christmas.”

December 10. Dewey Decimal System Day, honoring Melvil Dewey, the inventor of the library cataloging system. Why Americans have no problem using the Dewey Decimal System but can’t figure out the Metric System is a mystery.

December 11. Today is International Mountain Day. It was on this day 4.2 billion years ago that the first mountain was formed on Earth.

December 12. Don’t Be Gullible Day. I think this refers to my previous item.

J.C. Bruce is an award-winning journalist and author of the Strange Files series of mysterious adventures. He was recently named Best Humor Columnist by the Florida Press Association. Check out his website, jcbruce.com, for details on how to order copies of his books. Copyright, 2025, J.C.Bruce

Has the world become a runaway train? Sometimes it feels that way.

Here we are, about to launch ourselves into the last month of the year, Christmas is only a few weeks away, but I still haven’t eaten my way through all the leftover Halloween candy.

Many of the neighbors have already splattered their houses with their holiday lights, but it seems only a c…

Read more

This year, Thanksgiving falls on the date of another, less well-known, holiday: National Pins and Needles Day.

Which, when I first tripped upon this obscure celebration, I immediately presumed it referred to the anxiety turkeys must feel in the lead-up to our annual national feast.

While it may be their finest hour, the 43 million birds we will consume th…

Read more

Fancy Rat and Mouse Day is this week, the purpose of which is to encourage people to forget about dogs and cats and adopt rats and mice as pets instead.

I am not making this up.

I am also not kidding about its origin story, which began in 1901 in England when a woman named Mary Douglas asked permission to bring her pet rats to an exhibition of pet mice. T…

Read more

We are now in November, which, while famous for Thanksgiving, is also Native American Heritage Month.

The two events are closely tied, of course. Were it not for North America’s indigenous people, the early Pilgrims might have starved, and there would have been no Thanksgiving feast.

In subsequent centuries, those native inhabitants and their few remainin…

Read more

With Halloween right around the corner, I’m sure you’re frantically rummaging around for the perfect costume, and I’m here to give you the helpful fashion guidance you need.

Extensive research on the never-wrong internet reveals that the five most popular outfits this year are for the characters:

Rumi, Zoey, Mira, Jinu and Baby Saja.

You know who I’m refer…

Read more

One of October’s most outrageous holidays is coming up this week: Slap Your Annoying Coworker Day.

It is critical to note that the Essential News team does not endorse this behavior. And by Essential News team, I mean me.

Let’s be clear: Just because this is one of those funny, concocted holidays that pepper the calendar, that does not authorize you to, f…

Read more

I have no idea what chicken cacciatore tastes like. The pictures look delicious, but I’ve never actually eaten it. But I do know two things:

• October 15 is National Chicken Cacciatore Day.

• The first time I heard the dish mentioned as a kid, I thought it was Chicken Catch a Tory, and I had visions of a hen running after a British Redcoat.

I was reminded of t…

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Curious Events Day is this week, one of those concocted holidays not recognized by any official governing body, which is, in itself, curious.

What don’t they want us to know?

The stated purpose of this unusual commemoration is to “encourage curiosity and exploration of unsolved mysteries and unusual happenings.” You know, things like what really happened …

Read more

Julius Caesar is famous for many things besides being a human pincushion for 23 angry, knife-wielding Roman senators on the Ides of March.

(Pro tip for would-be despots: Don’t declare yourself dictator-for-life. Caesar did, and he got his wish; he was dictator for the rest of his life. Except for the part where his life was, at that point, measured in mi…

Read more

We begin the tenth month of the year with a government shutdown, which will likely be the focus of much of the news coming out of Washington.

But life is about more than politics.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and home to many exciting events including the World Series, Halloween, Indigenous Peoples’ Day (sometimes referred to as Columbus Day), and it is Roller-Skating Month, Squirrel Awareness Month and Bat Appreciation Month (although, oddly, Batman Day was in September).

Here’s a curated day-by-day look at the month ahead.

Oct. 1. International Coffee Day. Coffee is rich in antioxidants that help protect cells from damage. It also helps keep you awake when you’re pulling an all-nighter, and studies show it may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease when consumed in moderation.

This evening is also the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Oct. 2 is Name Your Car Day. I’ve never personally named one of my cars or trucks, but my wife had a black Volkswagen she named Phooey, which I think is charming. Some famous car names from film and television include:

Herbie (“The Love Bug”)

Eleanor (“Gone in 60 Seconds”)

Ecto-1 (“Ghostbusters”)

General Lee (“Dukes of Hazard”)

KITT (“Knight Rider)

Does your car have a name? If so, feel free to share at the end of this post in the COMMENTS tab.

Oct. 3. The Women’s National Basketball Association Finals games begin today. They will be televised on ABC and ESPN.

Oct. 4. Ten-Four Day. You know, like “10-4,” on the radio, meaning “understood”? Sort of a play on the date like May 4, as in May the Fourth Be With You. Only not exactly.

Oct. 5. World Teachers’ Day. Why are teachers important? Because human beings come out of the womb with, basically, a blank brain. Somebody has to fill it up with facts.

Oct. 6. Hunter’s Moon. Full moons get interesting names like this, many originating with our indigenous populations. The Hunter’s Moon was named for providing light in the autumn to make it easier for hunters to find game to store for the winter. Low lying areas may experience King Tides during this full moon due to the moon’s elliptical orbit bringing it closer to us.

Oct. 7 is National Taco Day. This holiday migrates a bit around the calendar so that it always ends up being on a Tuesday because, as everyone knows, Tuesdays are Taco Tuesdays because of the clever alliteration. Nobody knows why it isn’t Taco Thursdays.

Oct. 8 is World Octopus Day. The “octo” in octopus is derived from the Latin for the numeral eight since octopuses have eight arms. Important tip: It is politically incorrect to call them tentacles. My favorite is the Mexican Four-Eyed Octopus. I love their cute little glasses. Oh, wait, they don’t have glasses, they actually have four eyes.

Oct. 9 is Curious Events Day, a time to ponder all those unsolved mysteries such as whatever happened to Amelia Earhart, did D.B. Cooper survive his jump from the plane he hijacked, and has anyone found Jeffrey Epstein’s client list that mysteriously disappeared from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s desk?

Oct. 10. World Day Against the Death Penalty sponsored by a coalition of 38 human rights organizations. So far in 2025, 33 Death Row inmates have been executed in the United States. Florida leads the pack, far and away, with 12.

Oct. 11 is the 50^th anniversary of the very first Saturday Night Live broadcast featuring comedians Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman

Oct. 12. This is the actual day in 1492 that indigenous Americans discovered a lost Italian named Columbus wandering around their beach. They could have run him off, but instead brought him gifts. Further proof there is no such thing as a small decision.

Oct. 13 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, sometimes referred to as Columbus Day. It’s always on a Monday so mattress stores can hold their three-day weekend sales events.

Oct. 14. On this day in 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He actually got it without begging for it, unlike some other people we know. Speaking of American presidents, three of them and one vice president have been so awarded. They were: Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and Barack Obama.

Oct. 15. National Grouch Day. Why? No special reason. There was a blank spot in the middle of the month, so somebody came up with this lame holiday idea. But you can still use it to impress your friends with your amazing trivia chops.

Oct. 16. I noted this in last year’s monthly roundup, but at the risk of plagiarizing myself, it bears repeating because these one-liners are so good. In honor of Oscar Wilde’s birthday in 1854, some of his snappiest quotes:

• “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”

• “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.”

• “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

• “Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”

• A good friend will always stab you in the front.”

Oct. 17. Wear Something Gaudy Day. What qualifies as gaudy? I asked the never-wrong internet. Gaudy clothes, I learned, use bright colors that are visually jarring. An example that was cited: A rainbow-colored suit with gold shoes. I have to agree with that. The gold shoes are just too much.

Oct. 18. No Kings Day protests are planned nationwide today to stand against what organizers call Donald Trump’s “pathetic attempt at wearing the crown.” There’s an interactive map on this website to find a rally near you:

No Kings Day

Oct. 19. Today is the one-year anniversary of the Royal Palm Literary Awards in which the novel Strange Timing by yours truly won Book of the Year. In celebration, I have for a limited time only set the Kindle price to $5.95 and the paperback version at $14.99. You can order your copies here:

Strange Timing

Oct. 20. Rodent Awareness Week is celebrated each year at this time. Florida, where I live, is home to a very large mouse named Mickey who can be found in the Orlando area. Other rodents to be aware of include the palm rats that hang out in our back yard.

Oct. 21. The baseball playoffs are still underway, but it’s time for the National Basketball Association to begin play.

Oct. 22. Smart is Cool Day. Which is why this column is dedicated to making you the smartest person in the room—or the Zoom.

Oct. 23. Slap Your Annoying Coworker Day is celebrated today. It is the official policy here at Tropic Press that this is an ill-advised activity as you could find yourself slammed into the pokey if you took this literally, which you should not. Notwithstanding we’ve all had coworkers who absolutely do deserve it. But just don’t.

Oct. 24. The World Series begins today. Baseball fans can watch the games on FOX.

Oct. 25. It’s International Artists Day, held annually on the birthday of the famous international artist Pablo Picasso, born on this day in 1881.

Oct. 26. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place on Oct. 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt Earp won. With a recent change in the law in Florida, where I live, people can now openly carry guns like Earp’s Buntline Special as they wander the byways of the Gunshine State.

Oct. 27. Cranky Coworkers Day. We warned you not to slap him.

Oct. 28. National Chocolate Day. We started the month celebrating coffee because it is good for you. Well, chocolate is too. It’s full of flavonoids, antioxidants that can lower blood pressure and make you happy.

Oct. 29. National Cat Day. Because cats are fun. Although they can also be scary (see next item).

Oct. 30. Frankenstein Day. The author of the famous novel, Mary Shelley, was born on this day in 1797. She had a very strange cat, the more-or-less true story of which is recounted in Ken Pelham’s short story: Mary Shelley’s Nasty Cat. It’s part of a collection of short stories and novellas by a collective of Florida writers, weirdly known as the Alvarium Experiment. You can get a copy here:

Mary Shelley's Nasty Cat

Oct. 31. Halloween. It’s also Books for Treats Day. A day to give books to children. Cautionary note: You drop a book into a trick-or-treater’s bag instead of candy, you could be asking for trouble.

More online

Thank you for reading the Tropic Press newsletter. You also have access to the Tropic Press website for additional and previous posts, copies of the Monthly Memo, an archive of posts from our advice columnist, Miss Mingo, occasional guest commentaries, and information about The Strange Files series of mysterious adventures and other books.

Tropic Press Online

J.C. Bruce, journalist and author, is the founder of Tropic Press. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida. When he’s not blogging, he’s in training for the Florida Man Underwater Ping Pong Championships. Forward this email to your friends. They will love you for it.

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