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A little reason to celebrate

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Fun · The last Monday in January

All about bubble wrap, the cushioned plastic sheet full of air pockets that protects parcels and is famously satisfying to pop.

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day falls on Monday, January 25, 2027. That is 90 days away.

Bubble wrap is a sheet of thin plastic with rows of small sealed air pockets. It sits around fragile things in boxes and soaks up bumps along the way. The day is marked on the last Monday in January, which seems a fair moment for something so cheerful.

The idea is simple. Trapped air acts as a cushion, so a glass or a picture frame can rattle around in a truck and arrive in one piece. The bubbles come in different sizes. Small ones suit delicate items, while larger ones fill space in bigger boxes.

Then there is the popping. Pressing a bubble between finger and thumb gives a tiny snap, and most people find it hard to stop at one. Some twist a whole strip like a towel to set off a quick string of pops. Others work through a sheet one bubble at a time, slowly and with great focus, as if it were a serious job.

People mark the day by saving the wrap from their last delivery and finally popping it, or by reusing it for the next package they send. It also turns up in craft projects. Children press painted sheets onto paper to print neat dotted patterns, a bit like honeycomb.

A sheet that has been fully popped loses most of its cushioning, so the pops are best saved from pieces that have already done their packing work.

Ways to celebrate

• Pop a sheet of bubble wrap saved from a recent delivery.
• Reuse bubble wrap to pack your next parcel or store fragile items.
• Try bubble wrap printing by pressing a painted sheet onto paper.
• Share a strip with a coworker or friend and pop it together.

Dates

All national days on January 25

Also on January 25

• National Irish Coffee Day
• National Opposite Day
• National Fish Taco Day
• Observe the Weather Day

Categories: Fun days