National Drinking Straw Day is January 3. While the paper drinking straw was originally created in 1888 by Marvin C. Stone, according the www.NationalDayCalendar, 130 years later, California Governor Jerry Brown in 2018 signed into law Assembly Bill 1884, “a rule that ‘prohibits dine-in restaurants from automatically providing plastic straws’.” (http://tiny.cc/StrawBan) This law was put into effect in 2019, but it only affects plastic straws. National Drinking Straw Day celebrates ALL drinking straws.

In reality, there is evidence of drinking straws thousands of years before Stone received the patent for the paper drinking straw. Since 1888, however, all varieties of drinking straws have been used, including the forbidden plastic ones, those made of metal or glass, and those made of natural things like kelp. Some people even use things like licorice to sip their favorite beverages.

If you are looking for a way to celebrate this day, something that goes beyond just drinking, consider making a straw maze to entertain your younger siblings, or recycling plastic straws to make a basket or a coaster out of colorful drinking straws. Get creative and use straws in art or use one as a handle for a mask. You can find more ideas to entertain yourself and your siblings at https://rb.gy/a0jct2.