National Best Friends Day is June 8, and it is a great day to celebrate our dearest friends. In 1935, the U.S. Congress gathered to devote a day each year in tribute to close friends. They chose June 8, which is usually a balmy day in all regions of the country. Many other countries, including Bolivia, Columbia, Finland, and Spain, have adopted the practice. Some even throw festivals to celebrate their chosen family.
This holiday has given rise to a handful of other friendship-themed days for celebration, including International Friendship Day (July 30), Women’s Friendship Day (Sept 17), and even an entire week called New Friends, Old Friends Week (May 15 - 20).
- Why Best Friends Matter
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Having a best friend has been proven to be very beneficial for a person's health. Having someone to talk to, share problems with, and who is always there to support you helps in reducing stress and anxiety. Friends can help you celebrate good times too.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a best friend can offer great health benefits, such as:
- Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
- Prevent isolation and loneliness
- Boost your happiness and reduce your stress
- Improve your self-confidence and self-worth
- Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss, or the death of a loved one
- Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits
People tend to have best friends who are in the same age brackets, which means that they are often in the same life stages as each other, and can support each other. Best friends are usually someone we share interests with, or who have compatible personalities with ours. This means that we not only can relax, have fun with, and travel with others but also that they will always be there beside us during difficult times.
Above all, people love having best friends because they are the family they choose.
- Ways to Celebrate
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There are lots of ways to celebrate your best friends, here are a few ideas.
- Reach out to them. Some best friends you don't have to talk to every day, week, or month. When you do catch up, it's like no time has passed.
- Posting photos or memories on social media is one very popular way to celebrate. The recognizable hashtag #nationalbestfriendsday allows users to witness just how many Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter users are celebrating along with them.
- Watch a movie that reminds you of your best friend, or even better, watch a movie with your best friend.
- Organize some day activities such as a picnic or going to the beach.
- Plan a dinner at home, or go out for dinner and drinks, many places have started offering National Best Friends Day deals.
- If you and your best friend live apart, you can still do some of these things via video chat!
The best way to celebrate this holiday is by spending some time with your best friend, or friends.
Suggested Reading Material
These books can be found in our vast adult collection. This collection includes Mystery, Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Non-Fiction. These books are intended for readers ages 18+.
YA or Young Adult: These books are geared toward teen readers. Generally speaking, the age of the main character is one of the main differences between YA and Adult books. Content is often similar and can be enjoyed by readers of various ages.
Chapter Books or JFiction: These books are generally for children ages 9-12 and they are 4,000-15,000 words in length. These books have more content and more complex language than the children may have seen before. Therefore, they are broken into chapters to help the readers better comprehend the material.
Children's Early Readers: These books are considered the earliest chapter book a child can experience. Broken up into smaller chapters, early readers are a great way to boost confidence in young readers. While they are mostly read from the ages 5-9, early readers can be enjoyed by anyone!
Children's Picture Books: These books are perfect for children who are not reading on their own yet, generally in the 3 to 6 age range. They rely heavily on pictures and illustrations to tell a story and are great for story time at the library or at home.
