9 Ways to Celebrate Leap Day
Have you ever thought, “If only I had an extra day to … ?” To travel. To read. To spend time with family. Or just to … sleep.
This weekend you can! It’s the first time in four years we celebrate February 29th. All the complicated math behind the extra day is simply to keep us in sync with the seasons. If the world marched on with 365-day years, June would land eventually in winter!
Having an extra day in our year gives us a chance to reflect and take this gift of time to do something special with it. Here are some ways to celebrate the leap year that could become new traditions for you and your loved ones. It makes it sweeter that you can only celebrate it every four years.
- Set life goals for the next four years
Where do you want to be four years from now? Write down short- and long-term goals. Include a road map of how you plan to get there. They can be personal, financial, or professional—or a combination of all three.
- Write letters to yourself for the next Leap Year
Include your family in this project. It could turn out to be a long-term tradition that reveals how you change as a family, and as individuals, over time. Each family member can write the letter as if they were writing to their future selves. You can include special moments and people in your life this year and what you hope to accomplish four years from now. Seal the letters and open them on the next February 29th.
- Make a Leap Year time capsule
Gather memories from the beginning of this year and arrange them into a shoebox or plastic container. This could include photos, special cards, event receipts, and more. Get creative! Include your family in this tradition and have each person contribute one or two items. Find the perfect spot to bury the capsule where you can be sure to dig it up four years from now.
- Leap into spring
Take the day to start those spring cleaning projects early like cleaning out closets, a garage, or basement. If the weather is nice, then plan a spring-like day with your family and enjoy an outdoor adventure. If the weather is cold you can plan to spend some extra time with the family watching movies, baking cookies or just being together.
- Throw a Leap Day party
It’s fun to have a reason to throw a party and this is one! You could create a frog theme and play silly games like pin the kiss on a frog or hide plastic frogs for a scavenger hunt, all tying into the leap year celebration. You could create a signature leap year cocktail. You could even do a throw-back party to a leap year from the 80’s.
- Take a leap of faith
Write down all the things you’ve wanted to do but were afraid to take the chance on setting in motion. Pick the one that you most desire and has the best chance of success—and take the first step in doing it on February 29th. If it works out, great, if not, you can cross it off your list. It could inspire you to tackle the other things on your list you’ve dreamt of trying.
- Propose!
Irish tradition states that a woman can propose on leap day. While this tradition goes back to the 5th century, in this modern age women can propose whenever they want of course, but this is a fun tradition and a memorable gesture. Plus, it would make for a great story! Ladies, if you’re ready to propose, why not make it on February 29th?
- Pay it forward
Take the day to surprise people with unexpected gifts or find a way to give back to your community. Perhaps you pay for someone’s ice cream in line, offer to babysit for a neighbor who’s been longing for a date night with their partner, or call a loved one you haven’t spoken to in some time. Another idea is to reflect on how you can make a difference through volunteering. Create a list of possible organizations and start researching how
- And of course … watch the movie “Leap Year”.
Get in the spirit and watch Amy Adams take the leap day proposal idea to heart on the big screen. Even if you just watch the movie for the Irish brogues and gorgeous setting, it’s fun to view it on its namesake day.
February 29th is a special day. It only comes along once every four years. What will you do with your special extra day?
