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Humbug Day

Fun · Seasonal · December 21

Humbug Day gives grumbling a place during the busy holiday season, a chance to air small complaints and then carry on a little lighter.

Humbug Day falls on Monday, December 21, 2026. That is 55 days away.

"Humbug" is an old English word for nonsense, or for a trick meant to fool someone. Most people know it from Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, who answers holiday cheer with "Bah, humbug." Humbug Day takes that grumble and gives it room to breathe in the middle of the season.

The idea is simple. The holidays bring crowded stores, tangled lights, long lists and a lot of expected cheer. Some of it wears thin. On this day you are allowed to say so, out loud, without anyone taking it as a sign that you have turned against joy. Getting the complaint out tends to make the rest of the season feel lighter.

People mark it in small ways. Some keep a short list of their holiday gripes and read it to a friend who has a list of their own. Others put on their best Scrooge voice for one well-timed "Bah, humbug" at the dinner table. A few take an evening off from wrapping, baking and decorating and simply sit still.

There is also a candy called a humbug. It is a hard, boiled sweet, often striped and often flavored with peppermint, and it has been sold in Britain for a long time. Unwrapping one while you list your complaints makes them sound a little friendlier.

Ways to celebrate

• Write down your holiday gripes, then read them aloud and let them go.
• Say "Bah, humbug" once, in your best Scrooge voice.
• Read or watch A Christmas Carol and notice where Scrooge changes.
• Take one evening off from holiday chores.
• Try a peppermint humbug or another striped hard candy.

Dates

All national days on December 21

Also on December 21

• National Crossword Puzzle Day
• National Coquito Day
• National French Fried Shrimp Day
• Winter Solstice
• Don't Make Your Bed Day
• National Flashlight Day
• Look on the Bright Side Day

Categories: Fun daysSeasonal days