Why not a day to celebrate strangers?
Where would we be without strangers? Strangers grow our food. Strangers in factories make stuff we need. Strangers make important decisions for us, like whether we get into our first-choice college, or whether we get audited by the IRS.
Let’s face it. In the aggregate, strangers are more important to us than friends.
But speaking of obscure non-holidays:
Did we post this before?
Adding today’s Arlo and Janis as a late entry:
Comics I Don't Understand 
There are a certain number of “familiar strangers” in my life with whom I do not wish to exchange cards or anything else, for good reason. (Think “the guy always yelling at other people at the bus stop.”)
oops, wrong thread, sorry
or not…. comments label is confusing… I’ll go back to bed now.
padraig:>(Think “the guy always yelling at other people at the bus stop.”)
Is that you? /s
It appears that Roz Chast invented both the observance and the date just for the point of the gag; a cursory Internet search produced two potential “actual” observances, albeit of unknowable reliability:
June 8th: National Stranger Day
Sept. 16th: National Sit With A Stranger Day
P.S. Despite the fact that Prickly City has been around for 20 years, the strip above is only its third appearance at CIDU (possibly because Scott Stantis is also a syndicated editorial cartoonist, and has no qualms about lacing politics into Prickly City). And yes, I checked: Stantis did not run the same gag last year.
Blanche: Whoever you are—I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
Can’t wait for tomorrow! My wife always says they don’t come stranger than me.
Y’all are complete strangers to me, and I’ve been reading Bill’s stuff since the 90s!
National Get Reminded Why You Never Sit With Strangers Day
People are strange
When you’re a stranger
Faces look ugly
When you’re alone
I met a stranger in the elevator at the Fancy New Apartment building. It was a spiffily attired and coiffed young woman. I and my †cart of stuff came in from Garage 2, whereas she had come from Garage 1. We had one of those elevator conversations.
She: What Floor?
Me: (After peering at the panel) Where you’re going.
Both (five floors later): Have a nice evening.
It was notable only because it turned out that she was my across and down one neighbor, who has the doormat that says INTO THE WILD, and a wreath with a peace sign on the door. Someone once left a bouquet on the mat that was there for three days.
† The apartment building has a number of “hotel carts” scattered about for the residents. They look something like this.
Brian, I guess your neighbor missed that piece of advice from “Women’s Safety Training” programs that says “When you must get on an elevator alone with a potentially dangerous man, Do Not select your floor first where he can see it. Let / make him select his first. And you can politely ask, if you are closer to the buttons.”
Or congratulations, you don’t present as a Dangerous Man! (Maybe the cart full of your stuff helped)
OTOH, you really missed a cue actually saying “Same as you”! Your better answer would be “Six, thanks. Oh, I see that’s already pressed.”
Both “Day by Dave” (Whamond) and “Prickly City” (Stantis) agree that August 24th is “National Waffle Day” (in the U.S.)”:
P.S. This year, the date also happens to be European Bat Night (which falls on the last full weekend in August).
Do you still notice when a movie or TV show credits as “a joint production” [usually of]?
And not to forget, “A Spike Lee Joint”
How does a particular date get certified as National Widget Day? Is there some government Office of Calendars, or does the Acme Widget Corporation just decide that the boss’s wife’s birthday will be National Widget Day henceforth and forever?
There is of course no uniform process for certifying any such commemorative observance. Some special interest group (like the “Union of Dedicated Widget Manufacturers”) announces a date and plans a few special events, and keeps doing this every year until it either catches on and snowballs into a well-known holiday, or is forgotten and dies as an orphan in a pool of apathy.
P.S. One example of a successfully invented holiday is “Talk Like A Pirate Day” (on September 19th, for the absurdest of reasons).
Many decades ago I used to say “This whole marijuana controversy could be resolved if they would just hold a joint session of Congress.”
In re Hug your Sweetheart Day as the highlight of August: most of Canada enjoys a long weekend at the beginning of August, neatly in between Canada Day to open July and Labo(u)r Day kicking off September, just before the schools reopen. It’s called Civic Holiday, and technically must be proclaimed by each municipal authority, so it is not ubiquitous, and so goes by many local names. It’s one more chance to delay the Monday blues until Tuesday.
I thought that every day is “hug your sweetheart day”.
At least it seems to be so here in our house.
Whenever either of us is feeling sad we remember the words of Paul Buchman’s uncle (played by Mel Brooks) in “Mad About You” –
Whoever of the two of us who is sad and needs a hug puts their arms out in front of them and says to the other “Firm embrace.” Works every time.