Who Is Getting Ready for the Upcoming Spring Season?– Written by Fatima, GiGi’s NYC Participant

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers from Gigi’s Playhouse!

They are so many fun and wonderful holidays to celebrate in May 2025 such as National Loyalty Day, National School Lunch Hero Day, National Truffle Day, National Fitness Day, National Scrapbook Day, National Chocolate Custard Day, Cinco De Mayo, Mother’s Day, National Barbecue Day, National Visit Your Relatives Day, National Lucky Penny Day, Memorial Day, and National Hamburger Day.

National Loyalty Day is celebrated on Thursday, May 1st this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in certain ways including participating in parades, attending ceremonies, displaying the American flag, participating in civic engagement that supports American values, and honoring veterans and military personnel on social media.

National School Lunch Hero Day is celebrated on Friday, May 2nd this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of different ways including creating thank you cards, decorating cafeterias, highlighting the importance of school lunch programs and workers, showing gratitude to school cafeteria staff, highlighting the importance of getting students involved, and celebrating with a party.

National Truffle Day is also celebrated on Friday, May 2nd this year, and a lot more people celebrate the holiday in certain ways such as buying and enjoying chocolate candy, making homemade truffles, having truffle-themed parties, and gifting truffles to loved ones.

National Fitness Day is celebrated on Saturday, May 3rd this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in different ways including engaging in a variety of activities to promote fitness and mental wellbeing, trying new workouts, attending local fitness events, incorporating activities like walking, yoga, or sports in their routines, incorporating cardio, strength, and flexibility into their day, doing outdoor activities and home workouts, setting and reaching fitness goals, eating healthy, and encouraging your community to be more active.

National Scrapbook Day is also celebrated on Saturday, May 3rd this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a few different ways including creating scrapbook pages, attending craft events, and sharing scrapbook creations with others.

National Chocolate Custard Day is also celebrated on Saturday, May 3rd this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of different ways. Some of these ways include making and enjoying fresh chocolate custard, experimenting with and indulging in recipes, and hosting a chocolate custard tasting party. On this day I am planning on buying a chocolate custard pie to have with whipped cream and strawberries on top.

Cinco De Mayo is celebrated on Monday, May 5th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in different ways. Some of these ways include parades, block parties, festivals, mariachi competitions, folkloric dancing, live music, and car shows. On this day, I am planning on making tacos and taco bowls with halal meat, salsa, and avocados for dinner.

Mother’s Day is celebrated on Sunday, May 11th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of different ways such as family gatherings, gift-giving, and expressing appreciation for all mothers and mother figures. It is also popular to give cards and flowers to moms and enjoy a special meal together.

National Barbecue Day is celebrated on Friday, May 16th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of ways including hosting backyard barbecues, visiting local barbecue restaurant, and experimenting with new recipes and barbecue sauces. On this day I am planning on having a barbecue for my family and friends and making hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and hotdogs. I will also be inviting Peter Colombos and his family over to celebrate this holiday.

National Visit Your Relatives Day is celebrated on Sunday, May 18th this year, and a lot of people do a lot of different things to celebrate this day. It is common to spend time with family members, call your family members that you have not talked to in a while, reach out to a family member you know that lives alone, and surprise your relatives with a special lunch. On this day I am planning on going out to dinner with my family after my Dancing Dreams performance at Queens College.

National Lucky Penny Day is celebrated on Friday, May 23rd this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in many different ways. Some ways include searching for pennies, picking them up and making wishes on them, collecting pennies, and making penny presses. Some believe it is good luck to find a heads-up penny and will only pick up those pennies. Other people are happy to find any penny, whether it’s facing up or down.

Memorial Day is celebrated on Monday, May 26th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of different ways such as visiting veterans’ cemeteries and memorials to lay flowers or flags on the graves of fallen service members, flying flags at half-staff, and participating in parades and ceremonies. Communities across the country host parades and ceremonies, often featuring military personnel and veterans’ organizations. While Memorial Day is a solemn occasion, it also marks the unofficial start of summer, with many families enjoying picnics, barbecues, and time at the beach. At 3:00 PM local time, people are encouraged to observe a moment of silence and remembrance to honor those who have died in service. American flags are typically flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon, then raised to full staff at sunset. Some people wear red poppies as a symbol of remembrance, a tradition that began with a World War I poem.

National Hamburger Day is celebrated on Wednesday, May 28th this year, and a lot of people celebrate the holiday in a lot of different ways such as eating hamburgers at their favorite restaurant, grilling them at home, and participating in burger-themed parties and contests. There are often deals on hamburgers on this day at restaurants and the grocery store. You could also host a party with a burger bar so that everyone can create a customized burger to their liking. The options are truly endless. There are many vegetarian burgers for those who don’t eat meat. On this day I am planning on having a hamburger and french fries at Citi Field when I am on my break at work.

Before I start the June blog post I want to recommend a sushi restaurant called Tomo located at 89-14 Queens Blvd. Elmhurst, NY 11373. This is one of my favorite sushi restaurants besides Watawa because they both deliver right away to my house at different times of day and the sushi tastes amazing.

Sending you all a lot of love and happiness always.

Love,
Fatima