Leap Day.
One of my best friends from college, Dr. Ed McCormick, celebrates his birthday today! Since this is his 17th ‘real’ birthday we remind him that he only has 4 more years until he is legally able to drink! Ed has always had some fun with this, and, in all my many years I have never met another person born on this day!
Some interesting coincidences. Did you know that most men love Leap Day? If you get married on Leap Day you officially only have to buy anniversary gifts every 4 years? It’s also pretty hard to forget when your anniversary is! And, although you might try and get away with it, I’m pretty sure your kids, and especially your grandkids, if fortunate enough to be born on this day, will want to celebrate it on both days, February 28th and March 1st each year – more gifts, more cake, more festivities!
Some fun facts! February 29th is added to the calendar every four years to keep our calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year. The Earth's orbit around the sun takes approximately 365.25 days, so without an extra day added periodically, the calendar would slowly drift out of sync with the solar year.
To address this discrepancy, the concept of a leap year was introduced. A leap year occurs every four years when an extra day is added to the calendar, making that year 366 days instead of the usual 365. This additional day compensates for the extra 0.25 days in the Earth's orbit, helping to keep our calendar year aligned with the astronomical year.
While most people view this extra day as a mere anomaly in the calendar, filled with confusion about when to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, Leap Day is a treasure trove of little-known facts and wacky occurrences:
Leap Babies’ Superpowers: People born on February 29th, also known as Leap Day babies or "leaplings," claim to possess extraordinary powers. From the ability to time travel (only on Leap Day, of course) to an unparalleled talent for predicting when toast will perfectly pop out of the toaster, these individuals have talents that are truly out of this world.
The Leap Day Diet: Many people believe calories consumed on Leap Day don't count. While this might not be scientifically proven, it's a widely accepted myth leading to indulgent celebrations featuring extra helpings of cake, ice cream, and, of course, leapfrog-themed cookies.
Leap Day Sales and Deals: Some retailers, recognizing the uniqueness of Leap Day, offer special deals on products that are equally unique. Where else can you find a "buy one, get one free" offer on left-handed garden gnomes or a discount on invisible ink? It's the perfect day to splurge on items you didn't know you needed.
This is a short list of some of the many companies offer specials on Leap Day: Chipotle, Insomnia Cookies, Wendy’s, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme
Happy Leap Day!
Dave Baker
A little bio of our Leap Day Friend, Dr. McCormick. Dr. McCormick played soccer with me at Saint Vincent’s College for four years, and we celebrated many events there, including the day he saved my wife from a fire – he was also the student ‘Fire Chief’ for the student volunteer fire department (honest we had one and they were real fire fighters!). After we graduated Ed became the assistant SVC soccer coach under Coach John Granish of both Beadling and Alderson Broaddus fame. He served as the Alumni Leader for Saint Vincent College for more than 40 years. His entire professional career was at Hempfield High School as one of the incredible leaders in the English department. Well noted for his prose, poetry and wit, he and his beautiful bride Amy still live in Westmoreland County, although they spend their winters on Amelia Island – lucky guy on both accounts, Amy and Amelia.
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