January is a good month for many things besides New Year’s Resolutions. Somehow Americans have found more ways to celebrate by naming particular focus on various items or relationships. There seems to be a month or day for everything…sweethearts, secretaries, bosses, breast cancer awareness, colon health and we can’t forget grandparents day, which I am now particularly fond of! If you have a passion for something, I’m sure there is a day to celebrate it and Hallmark may even have a card to buy for it too! Here is a list of compiled special emphasis and days for January:
- National Blood Donor Month
- National Braille Literacy Month
- National Hobby Month
- Hot Tea Month
- National Oatmeal Month
- National Soup Month
Each Day:
1 New Year's Day
2 Run up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day
3 Festival of Sleep Day
3 Fruitcake Toss Day
3 Humiliation Day
4 Trivia Day
5 National Bird Day
6 Bean Day
6 Cuddle Up Day
7 Old Rock Day
8 Bubble Bath Day
8 Male Watcher's Day
9 Play God Day
10 Peculiar People Day
11 Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend's Day
12 Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day
12 National Pharmacist Day
13 International Skeptics Day
13 Make Your Dream Come True Day
14 Dress Up Your Pet Day
15 National Hat Day
16 National Nothing Day
17 Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day
18 Thesaurus Day
18 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday , celebrated on the third Monday
18 Winnie the Pooh Day -The Birthday of Winnie's author A.A. Milne
19 National Popcorn Day
20 National Butter crunch Day
20 Penguin Awareness Day
21 National Hugging Day
21 Squirrel Appreciation Day
22 National Blonde Brownie Day
23 National Pie Day
23 National Handwriting Day
23 Measure Your Feet Day- I only ask...."Why!?!"
24 Beer Can Appreciation Day
24 Compliment Day
25 Opposite Day
26 Spouse's Day
27 Chocolate Cake Day
27 Punch the Clock Day
28 Fun at Work Day
28 National Kazoo Day
29 National Puzzle Day
29 National Corn chip Day
30 National Inane Answering Message Day
31 Backward Day
31 Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
That’s quite a list. I’m sure you chuckled at some of these and of course are planning parties to celebrate each of these things! Lighthearted thoughts are good for your health. Take time to laugh and let go of some cares, even if for a short time. Have a blonde brownie and hot tea with a friend on the 22nd to celebrate and make plans for the next day’s focus! So how many young readers even know what a “blonde brownie” is?
Speaking of tea, January is Hot Tea Month! What is so special about tea, the most common of all drinks around the globe after water? Well, many things, some good and some not so good. The big thing to remember is that tea leaves are not washed during processing until you put them in boiling water before drinking and then they get their first bath…and you drink the water with all the chemical and pesticides used during the growing and processing! Doesn’t that sound delightful? Buy organic tea.
Of all the teas you hear about: black, green, white, red, oolong, and herbal, which is the most beneficial? Like so many other answers; it depends what you’re looking for!
True tea: black, green, white and oolong, comes from the leaves of the Camellia plant. Teas are known for polyphenols which studies have shown can be disease preventive. The darker the teas, the more processing they have gone through. Green and white teas take less processing. White tea is picked early in the spring before chlorophyll has entered the new leaf, which is why it’s white or silvery in color. Black and Oolong teas are dried, crushed, and fermented before making it into your cup. All teas made from the Camellia plant have polyphenols. Of course don’t offset the health benefits by adding sugar and creamer.
According to Gloria Tsang, registered dietician, “Numerous studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of antioxidant polyphenols. Some studies have suggested that tea's polyphenols may reduce the risk of gastric, esophageal and skin cancers, if one consumes 4 to 6 cups daily. Another study showed that just 2 cups of tea may lower the risk of ovarian cancer by 46 percent in women. Other studies have found that polyphenols help prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels. One Japanese study found that green tea lowers death rates from heart disease.”
Red Rooibos and herbal teas are not really teas at all as they are not from the Camellia plant. They are really “infusions” because the plant part is steeped in water before drinking. This type of beverage is called tisane when it is not from the Camellia plant.
There is no caffeine in tisanes. Teas have various amounts with the highest in the darkest teas. A cup of black tea has 4o mg. of caffeine compared to 85 mg. in a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It is still not known if decaffeinating tea leaches out the polyphenols. I do know that most processes to do this ads more chemicals to the end tea product unless it is done the “Swiss water” way. Of course you can do this yourself if you use loose leaf teas instead of tea bags. Caffeine is leached out of the tea in the first 30 seconds of being exposed to the water. To naturally decaffeinate it, discard the water after 30 seconds and then brew your tea, steeping it for 3-5 minutes. Enjoy your own decaffeinated tea without any added chemicals! Only loose leaf teas usually have enough flavors to make that second cup of tea. You can do the same with coffee if it is of good quality that has enough flavor.
Now you know a little more about tea for January, the hot tea month. You can have it with less caffeine too…or have a cup of tisane that is caffeine free naturally. Enjoy it liberally as you celebrate all the special days of January!
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