Cotswold Life’s editor Mike Lowe looks ahead to some significant dates in 2015, including Think About Sex Day, Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, and more...

When you edit a monthly magazine, you’re always looking to see what’s coming up at least three months ahead. This timescale means that you sometimes miss the opportunity for entertaining and informing articles. This year, for instance, we caught National Waiters’ Day with a great first-person piece from Katie Jarvis who endured a proper service (oo-err Missus), but we missed National Stationery Week, when it’s now traditional to set a work colleague’s stapler in a jelly while buying beautiful notebooks that you’ll never use. (I have dozens. Curse you, Paperchase, and apologies to all the moles that have been skinned.)

So to get ahead I’ve already been perusing the significant dates for 2015. The year begins well with Farmhouse Breakfast Week (January 25-31), which always raises the thorny issue of whether or not baked beans have a role to play in the most important meal of the day. I’d say No, especially if they’re served in one of those silly little ramekins. I’m strictly a two smoked bacon rashers, one black pudding slice, one sausage, two fried eggs, mushrooms and fried bread man.

If you get a bit bored during your week of breakfasts, we have Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day on January 26, which should while away a bit of time but might alarm passing waiters, especially if they’ve been serving baked beans with their fry-up. An alternative diversion is offered by Bug Busting Day on January 31, when we’re supposed to check each other for head lice. Again, this might not be appropriate behaviour over breakfast in the restaurant of your choice.

Still hungry? Yorkshire Pudding Day is on February 1, while February 17-23 is National Chip Week. Again controversy rages. Thick or thin? Beef dripping or goose fat? Twice fried or thrice fried? It’s a minefield out there.

And in amongst all this come matters of the heart that don’t involve cholesterol. In a happy collision of interests, February 13 has been nominated as Women Scorned Day, when “all women across the globe can take a day out to help and support others who have been affected by infidelity”. And boom! The following day has now been appropriated by Think About Sex Day, which celebrates the fact that men think about sex 13 times per day on average. Not if they’ve got a bloody magazine deadline looming they don’t.

We then move neatly on to March 8, which is International Women’s Day, when all the clever clogs on Twitter will spend all day asking sarcastically “Why isn’t there an International Men’s Day?” (There is, you idiots. It’s on November 19.)

And March also brings us the delights of British Pie Week (3-9), National Bed Month (too many pies) and National Skipping Day (magazine deadline gone).

As you can see, we’ve got an action packed year ahead and I’ve run out of space after only three months. This is something to which I may return.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. And if you can spare a few bob, get involved in our Christmas Box appeal this December to help those less fortunate to celebrate as well.

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This article by Mike Lowe is from the December 2014 issue of Cotswold Life.

For more from Mike, follow him on Twitter: @cotslifeeditor