So, February’s finally winding down. Nothing personal, Feb. But What took ya so long?

Of course, this year we have one more day of February, the 29^th.

Oh, joy.

Well. Let’s see the glass half-full instead of half-empty, shall we? Like. How can we celebrate Leap Day?

The First Thing

The first thing you’ll notice about Leap Year/Day activities or celebrations is that they’re about as scarce as a slim sow. That’s probably because keeping traditions that only kick in every four years is quite a challenge.

Additionally, “Leap Day” falls into the Major Weirdness category when it comes to oddball “holidays.” It’s kind of an Un-Holiday-Holiday.

Give Feb the Heave-Ho

Never fear. Yours Truly and her faithful canine, Kimber, have scoured the Internet, the neighborhood, the library, and the pet store to come up with a list of bark-worthy ideas for celebratin’ this Un-Holiday, if for no other reason than to give dank, dreary February the heave-ho. (Sorry about that, Feb. Naw. Not really. Who’s ready for spring??!!)

Who’s ready for spring? Let’s get a jump on the new season with:

1. Leap Year Books for Children:

• Leopold’s Long-Awaited Leap Year Birthday, by Dawn Desjardins
• It’s My Birthday…Finally!, by Michelle Whitaker-Winfrey
• Leap’s Day, by Stephanie Bee Simmons
• The Kangaroo Who Couldn’t Stop, by Robert Cox
• The Leap Year Book, by Barbara Sutton-Smith
• It’s Not Leap Year This Year, by Michelle Whitaker-Winfrey
• Mommy, Where’s My Birthday!, by Lakisha Cornel

2. Leap Day Movie

The Pirates of Penzance. A Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in two acts. On the coast of Cornwall, a band of tenderhearted pirates celebrates the coming of age of Frederic, who was mistakenly apprenticed to the pirates until his 21st birthday. Now, Frederic has vowed to devote his life to the extermination of piracy. But a ludicrous leap year snag threatens to keep him apprenticed to the pirates for life!

3. Furry Friends

In honor of the once-every-four-years Leap Day, take your furry friend for a four-mile walk. (One of us can do this in her sleep. Yeah, baby!)

Also see:

4. 7 Leap Day Party ideas to help you Celebrate February 29^th Right!

Take a personal day. Write a letter to your future self. Watch a movie. Get a jump on spring cleaning. What would you add?

Since “four” is the watch word for Leap Day, how about trying out some fun new “four” recipes at the link below? Marinated chicken quarters? Dinner parties for four? Four-grain Flapjacks or Four Cheese Macaroni? How ‘bout Lose Weight: Eat Every Four Hours?

Check out these and other Leap Day ideas at: Fun Ways to Celebrate Leap Day.

5. Take a Leap Day

While we’re at it, why not Take a Leap by doing something different this February 29^th? You might even start a trend! Ideas:

• Switch your phone off
• Clean out your closet; donate to your local clothing bank
• Learn to play the guitar
• Find a guitar
• Donate blood
• Call your mom or dad
• Bake cupcakes and share with a friend or neighbor
• Make someone smile today
• Stay off social media for 24 hours (do it again tomorrow!)
• Write 500 to 1,000 words today (c’mon! You can do it!)
• Go for a walk
• Take a picture of the book you’re currently reading. Post it on social media. Challenge others to do likewise.
• Make a list of 10 favorite authors. Have they published anything new? If yes, then you know what to do.
• Donate gently used books to a community center, retirement home, or jail so someone else can read, too!
• Write a book report on the last book you read. Post it on Goodreads or on your blog.
• Revisit a favorite book from your childhood.

You might get so good at this, you’ll want to “take a leap” on a regular basis instead of once every four years!

Do you celebrate Leap Day with any “special” activities or observances? What?