Did you leap for joy on New Year’s Eve when the ball dropped you into 2020? There are so many reasons to love a new year but this one gives you an extra day!  Think of it as a bonus and if you happen to be a “leaper” then you’ve got some celebrating to do because your birthday (leaplings are rare) comes around only once every four years! So, what’s up with Leap Day anyway?

You can thank Julius Caesar, “Father Leap Year”, for keeping our calendars in line because without this additional day every four years we would lose almost six hours every year. This is all because the revolution around the sun isn’t exactly 365 days but 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds. In order to make up for the discrepancy between the lunar and solar calendars, Caesar, with the help of his top astronomers, added the “leap” day to bring our calendars back into balance.

So, now that you know why there’s an extra day this month, what are you going to do with it?

How about…

Get an early start on your taxes – February 29th is on a Saturday so technically that’s one extra weekend day this year to get your tax info in good order.

Throw a Leap Day party – It is a Saturday night so have some fun, wear green (for frogs not shamrocks, that’s in March) and serve Leap Year Cocktails from the Savoy Cocktail Book published by the Savoy Hotel and created in London in 1928. The cocktail is said to have been “responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail ever mixed”. That should make for an interesting party!

Leap into spring cleaning – Brush out those cobwebs, wipe away the dust, clean out a closet, organize your pantry, use your extra day to bring a little sparkle to your abode. Give some natural cleaners a try instead of harsh chemicals.   Need some great some decluttering ideas?

Get an extra fitness day in – Go for a leap day hike, run or walk. Or, hit the gym on your extra day and burn some extra calories!  Don’t forget to choose healthy foods – Leap day is also an extra day of eating!

Propose to your boyfriend – Want to leap into matrimony with your SO?  It is February after all, the most romantic of months and Leap Day is your day to do it according to the Irish. Technically, in the year 2020, women do not need permission to propose marriage, but Irish tradition proclaims that this right has been reserved for women specifically on years with 366 days on the calendar. Yay Leap Year!

Cross an item off of your bucket list – What better way to use an extra day in your year and swim in one of the four major oceans, visit one of the seven wonders of the world or experience the Northern Lights.

Celebrate with a Leaper – With Leap Day on the calendar every four years, leap babies are rare –  in fact, there are only about 5 million around the world. Considering that the chance of being born on any day is 1 in 365, for Leap Day babies it 1 in 365 x 4 plus 1!  When you can only celebrate your birthday every 4 years then it better be a big bash and if you know a leaper, celebrate with them. It will be memorable for sure!

Another reason to love 2020’s leap year?  The extra day pushes our calendar into perfect Fun-Time alignment!  Valentine’s Day is a Friday – celebrate all weekend if you like. Cinco De Mayo falls on #TacoTuesday, we will watch our Fourth of July Fireworks and hand out Halloween candy on a Saturday, and Christmas Day and New Year’s Day 2021 will land on #TGIF!  See you in all the blogs around those dates and more!

Deb Fries is a freelance designer and writer and worked at Julianna Rae in Customer Service and Graphics, she writes all her blogs for juliannarae.com in the Heavenly Spa Robe in Shale.