Should churches celebrate whacky holidays on social media?
I didn’t know this until I started my career in social media, but there are bizarre, special, and wacky holidays every single day of the month. Yes! Every month has its own set of holidays and observances and I’m here for all of them! Okay, most of them.
Fried Chicken Day - let’s do it!
National Book Lovers Day - yes, please!
World Kindness Day - of course!
The church can celebrate these special and unusual holidays too! Whether you’re celebrating with a gathering on campus or through a fun graphic on social media, the goal is to raise awareness and have fun. And let’s face it - we could all use a little fun right now.
To get started…
Pick a holiday from the list below.
Determine how you’ll celebrate the holiday (Ex: campus gathering, virtually, graphic, etc).
Capture the excitement and share the photos/videos across social media.
Note: The below list does not contain all of the holidays available. I selected the holidays that have worked for me in the past or holidays I would like to observe in the future. If you would like to view the full list, visit here or here.
November 1: National Author’s Day
Share your pastor’s top three books or authors. Share the list as a text post, graphic, or video, and host a giveaway for one of the featured books. Hashtag: #NationalAuthorsDay
November 4: Check Your Blood Pressure Day
‘Check Your Blood Pressure Day’ is not a widely known observance, but it raises awareness around an important issue. If you have medical professionals in your congregation, record a video tutorial on how to properly check a family member’s blood pressure at home. Alternative: Host a “Check your blood pressure” event at your church for the community. Hashtag: Create a unique hashtag for your church’s observance.
November 4: National Candy Day
There’s a good chance your audience still has candy leftover from Halloween. Ask them to share their top three candies (favorite to least favorite). If your church is meeting in-person, purchase the most popular responses and give the candy away after worship service. Hashtag: #NationalCandyDay
November 5: National Hot Sauce Day
Everyone has a favorite hot sauce. List 3-4 popular hot sauce options in a poll and ask your audience to select their favorite. Hashtag: #NationalHotSauceDay
November 6: National Nacho Day
Host a nacho bar at your church or in a small group meeting and share the photos of the nacho creations. To engage your audience, ask them to share their favorite nacho toppings or their favorite local restaurant for nachos in the comment thread. Hashtag: #NationalNachoDay
November 7: Book Lovers Day
If your church has a library, share a list of the most checked out books. Alternative: Partner with the local library to share how members can sign up for a library card. Hashtag: #BookLoversDay
November 10: Young Readers Day
Record a children's minister, Sunday school teacher, or parent reading a children’s Bible story. Publish the video across social media and encourage parents to share the video with their children. Hashtag: #NationalYoungReadersDay
November 11: National Sundae Day
Name the top three places in your community to enjoy a great sundae. Include the hashtag #NationalSundaeDay and don’t forget to tag (@mention) the featured businesses in your post. To encourage participation, ask your audience to share their favorite sundae toppings. Make note of their responses for your next sundae party.
November 13: Caregiver Appreciation Day
The Caregiver Action Network has a great Family Caregivers Toolkit containing a number of resources available. Share the available resources with your audience. If you have a local resource or ministry at your church, share with your audience how they can connect with both. Hashtag: #CaregiverAppreciationDay #NationalCaregiversMonth
November 13: World Kindness Day
Encourage your audience to perform an act of kindness or share these free graphics from the Random Act of Kindness Foundation. Hashtag: #WorldKindnessDay
November 14: World Diabetes Day
Host an educational seminar about diabetes at your church for the entire community. Don’t forget to share photos of the event across social media. The International Diabetes Federation has a great list of ideas on how to spread the word and engage your community here. Hashtag: #WorldDiabetesDay
November 15: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
I’m the worst when it comes to cleaning out my refrigerator and I know I’m not the only one. I’ve read too many office notices about full and dirty refrigerators. For ‘Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day’, host a cleaning party at your church that includes the refrigerator. Post the photos online and encourage your audience to clean out their refrigerators at home. Hashtag: #CleanOutYourRefrigeratorDay
November 17: Homemade Bread Day
Host a bread making taste event at your church. Record the taste testing, and if the bakers are willing, share their recipes in your next newsletter. Alternative: host an in-person or online bake sale. If online, ask your audience to purchase a homemade bread for their shut-in or elderly friends and loved ones. Deliver the sold items the weekend after the bake sale. Hashtag: #HomemadeBreadDay
November 23: National Espresso Day
Every church has a coffee aficionado in their congregation. Ask your coffee expert if they’ll be open to recording a video or writing a blog article on what an espresso is and/or how to make the perfect espresso. Share the video or resource on Pinterest to expand your reach beyond your audience. Hashtag: #NationalEspressoDay
November 23: National Adoption Day
Help raise awareness about adoption in your local community. Record a testimony from a family with an adopted child, or visit a local adoption organization to shine a light on the resources available in your community. For more information about Adoption Day, visit here. Hashtag: #NationalAdoptionDay
November 26: National Cake Day
Host a cake decorating contest for a special prize. Publish photos of the cake entries online and invite your online audience to vote for their favorite cake decor. Celebrate the winner in a special post after the contest. Hashtag: #NationalCakeDay
November 28: French Toast Day
Encourage your audience to share their favorite french toast combinations using the hashtag #NationalFrenchToastDay.
November 28: Small Business Saturday
There’s a pretty good chance your church has one or more business owners in the congregation. Highlight these business owners during worship, in the announcements, or in your November newsletter. Alternative: Host a Small Business Saturday fair at your church. If you’re not meeting in-person, share a list of your small business owners across social media. Hashtag: #SmallBusinessSaturday
November is also known for the following observances:
National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
National Family Caregivers Month
That’s it! I hope these November social media content ideas have been helpful. Don’t forget to check out my social media content calendars for churches HERE. If you would like more content ideas or tips on how to take your church’s social media to the next level, subscribe to my weekly newsletter.
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