National Fruitcake Day

National Fruitcake Day...No, not a day of recognition for your in-laws, but a time to pay homage to the other type of fruitcake, that infamous lead weight of a dessert your great-aunt Gertrude sends every Christmas.

Yes, there actually is a day dedicated to fruitcake and it is December 27th. The observance is not an official national holiday (which would require an act of congress) but it is a recognized fun day by lovers of fruitcake and obscure holidays alike. Even if you don't love fruitcake (which covers most everyone) it's a day to take your collection of the red and green marbled rock-cake accumulated throughout the holidays and do something with it. The general assumption is that the day was intended for the baked good but, by all means, if you'd like to honor your nutty in-laws on National Fruitcake Day instead of the cake they sent you for Christmas, go right ahead!

The day of recognition is appropriately timed for just after Christmas when your fruitcake supply is at its maximum (as is your tolerance for crazy relatives you just spent a month cohorting with). For those connoisseurs of the super-sweet dessert, maybe on National Fruitcake Day you want to sit down and enjoy a few slices. Or for those once jaded but perpetually optimistic folks, maybe on this day you give the fruitcake a second chance and chip off a chunk to sample (only to be reminded of why you usually transition the brick directly from its gift wrapped box to the trash). Or perhaps to unite the duality of the word "fruitcake" you mold your clay-like cakes into a likeness of your favorite insane person and proudly display your masterpiece on your mantle on December 27th. There are no rules on National Fruitcake Day, celebrate however you wish! But if you were planning to spend the day testing the capabilities of your fruitcake as a weighty projectile or employing the cakes in an analysis of the tensile strength of your garbage bag you might want to hold off until January 3rd, Fruitcake Toss Day.