Happy Pal-O-Mine Day!

Will you be my Pal-O-Mine?

It certainly doesn't have quite the same intimate ring as Valentine and it's not flush with the burning romance or potential sex appeal of Valentine's Day, but I wish there was a friendship day.

There is one you say? Yeah, actually there's a friend day and it's been around for awhile now. It's supposed to be celebrated annually on the first Sunday of August. In 1935, the United States Congress declared it a holiday to pay tribute to friends here and abroad. Obviously it really hasn't caught on too well. Does anyone even remember or celebrate it? When was the last time you received gifts or cards on Friendship Day?

Like many things, maybe it needs a PR boost or a first-class marketing team to attack the problem. After all, where would Christmas be without all the great marketing of Santa Claus and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer? The greeting card companies certainly have cards for every occasion and there are tons of friendship cards for every level and degree of acquaintanceship, but somehow the notion of that one day set aside for just having a friend has been lost in all the focus on romance.

Are greeting cards enough? They can be great mementos, but also can come across as an easy way to acknowledge something. Buying a gift can be very special. Again, though it can just be an excuse to simply hand a thing to someone instead of actually engaging in an activity. Take a friend to the movies. Send them on a trip somewhere they've never been before.