11-04-2025
Happy National Pet Day! Here's a complete list for every day dedicated to each family member
It seems like every day there is another holiday to show off and celebrate those in our lives, whether it's sharing a picture in an Instagram story chain or grabbing a special deal at a local restaurant.
Today is National Pet Day, dedicating the day to those pets who may not always get the companionship and attention pets deserve, according to the National Day Calendar.
National Siblings Day took place on April 10, giving those a chance to stop bickering with their brother or sister and show them some love instead. The pseudo-holiday was created by Claudia Evart in 1995 to honor both of her siblings who died and help others recognize the bond within their own families.
While you don't need a certain day to shower your family or friends in appreciation, it's nice to give them a little extra when their holiday rolls around.
Don't want to get in trouble with your loved one the next time one of these oddly specific yet special holidays rolls around? Here's when each dedicated day is for each family member.
National Spouses Day - Jan. 26
National Sons Day - March 4
National Siblings Day - April 10
National Pet Day - April 11
Mother's Day - May 12
National Brothers Day - May 24
National Best Friends Day - June 8
Father's Day - June 16
National Parents Day - July 23
National Cousins Day - July 24
National Aunts and Uncles Day - July 26
National Girlfriends Day - Aug. 1
National Twins Day - Aug. 5
National Sisters Day - Aug. 6
National Couples Day - Aug. 18
International Dog Day - Aug. 26
Grandparents Day - Sept. 10
National Daughters Day - Sept. 25
National Boyfriends Day - Oct. 1
National Cat Day - Oct. 29
While some of these are officially recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau, others are recognized by the masses in other ways. There are more than 1,500 of these national holidays, according to Marlo Anderson, founder of the National Day Calendar.
Anderson told The Record in New Jersey in 2018 that his website has a form that users can fill out to create certain holidays and has seen it blossom into an institution equally valuable to journalists, who are looking for an excuse to write about things, and lobbyists, who are looking for an excuse to have things written about.
He does point out, the majority of the holidays on his site are long-established, either by cultural tradition — Easter — or by congressional or presidential proclamation.
But there are also lots of holidays on the calendar that exist because special interests — commercial or otherwise — were willing to pay a few dollars (for, say, a small non-profit) or a substantially larger sum (for a big multi-national industry) to get their gala day on the radar.
He said the National Day Calendar gets 20,000 petitions a year, of which only a handful are selected annually by the group's four-member board.
Some examples: National Calzone Day (Nov. 1), National Missing Persons Day (Feb. 3), Jeep 4x4 Day (April 4), National Ampersand Day (Sept. 8), National Hangover Day (Jan. 1), and National Nail Polish Day (June 1).
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: What national day is it today? There's one for every family member
