Conversation 28

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MAKE UP YOUR MIND DAY

Each year, Make Up Your Mind Day on December 31st encourages us to quit wavering, to take a side, and follow through with a decision and stick to it.

As New Year’s resolutions go, this may be the day to decide which ones to declare. The day may be used to determine other decisions as well. Career changes, family decisions, and large purchases often keep us from moving forward. We waver between multiple choices or sometimes a simple yes or no. While some life-altering decisions are made on a whim, most people deliberate and weigh the pros and cons before making these types of decisions.

LEAP SECOND TIME ADJUSTMENT DAY

Leap Second Time Adjustment Day is listed as an observance title only. Some years scientists do not make adjustments. But, if they do, then it’s done on either June 30 or December 31.

NO INTERRUPTIONS DAY

No Interruptions Day on the last workday of the year sets aside the day to get organized for the new year by cleaning up your workspace without interruptions.

This is the day set aside for cleaning out emails, tossing long-saved memos, and delegating those tasks that, well, just need to be delegated. Clear out those menial tasks that you dread. Get them finished and cleared off your to-do list.

Everyone’s to-do list is different. The very nature of our job dictates what we consider an organized and cleared workspace. One career may be facing new regulations while another looks at all new technology to learn. A day without interruption allows us to focus on big things and small.

However, some people use this day to focus hard on those end-of-year tasks that always seem to slip through the cracks. Often these are the details of work one pushes off until the last minute. And today is that last minute.

NATIONAL CHAMPAGNE DAY

National Champagne Day recognizes the wine that puts the pop in every New Year’s Eve celebration.

Genuine champagne only comes from France’s Champagne region. French law protects where and how it is made. With some exceptions, only Champagne made according to set specifications and within the French region may label their wines using the term “Champagne.” Other foods and beverages fall under this type of protection in France and other parts of the world.

Champagne, France, is located northeast of Paris and provides the ideal temperature and soil to produce the grapes required for Champagne. French law allows only eight varieties of grapes for the production of Champagne in the Champagne region. Primarily, the three grapes used to create Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.

Unlike other wines, Champagne ferments in the bottle allowing the vintner to trap the CO2 in the bottle. The bubbles give Champagne its effervescence.

While Champagne can be spendy, if you are looking for a little pop on New Year’s Eve, other varieties of sparkling wine are available from Italy, California, and even the South of France. They offer a sparkle that won’t put a fizzle in your pocketbook. Then again, some New Years mean an opportunity for splurging and celebrating no matter the expense.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Every year on December 31st, people around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year. It’s a day to say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new.