The Secret Origins of a Uniquely American Holiday

Posted on 02.29.2012 by C. Fisher

It was a cold, wintery February day in Wisconsin. The kids were sick of being indoors. The parents were sick of the kids being sick of being indoors.

Now, children are uniquely gifted at finding ways to entertain themselves in the face of crushing boredom. The catch is that, when they've been bored for an extended time, they have to keep upping their game, and their ideas increasingly fall under the heading of "oh god, please, not in the house." By late February, you have the makings of a perfect storm.

Today, our kids had invented a simple game. As far as we could tell, the game involved two rules:

1. Point at the nearest child, and yell "YOU'RE A DOODLE NOODLE" at the top of your lungs.

2. Go back to step 1.

Gudrun had been waiting for the game to play itself out for the better part of half an hour. You could practically hear popping sounds as the muscles in her neck approached tightrope-tautness. And at last, she decided that Drastic Measures were called for.

She told the kids that, if they would promise to stop playing their awesome new game, she would declare a family holiday -- called Doodle Noodle Day -- to take place on the last day of February. We'd have a big party, play games, and eat delicious food. Kids like parties almost as much as they love making their parents crazy, so a truce was called, and the kids went outside to throw snow at each other.

That night, the family got together and crafted the plan for a holiday that became an instant tradition for our family.

What You Need to Celebrate Doodle Noodle Day

Traditionally, Doodle Noodle Day is celebrated on the last day of February. Some families observe the festivities on the previous weekend. The point is that by the end of February, everyone can use a good party to brighten the spirits a bit.

No two DND celebrations are exactly alike, but these are the important elements to include:

Pasta. Ideally, make at least two noodle dishes -- spaghetti, mac 'n' cheese, ravioli, whatever. Try to make more pasta than you can reasonably expect your guests to eat.

A white paper tablecloth, and enough crayons and markers to go around. While you're not eating, draw on the table. Whenever you need to get up from the table, take time to check out what the other guests are drawing.

Silly hats. Every party guest should have their own silly hat. "Silly" is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but if you've brought a Yankees baseball cap, and you're sitting next to the guy who brought a hat with a lit-up scale model of the great pyramid of Giza on it, you might feel a little sheepish. Throw dignity to the wind, and go big!

Nicknames. Come up with a party nickname for yourself that goes along with the theme of your hat. This year, the kids will be coming as Flying Noodle, Jazz Noodle, and Dictator For Life Noodle. (Feel free to form your own opinions about what that last nickname says about my parenting skills. I think we've already established the degree to which I take myself seriously.)

Party games. Break out the old-fashioned traditional party games. Charades, 20 questions, dictionary, you name it. These games are uniquely awesome when all the participants are wearing silly hats.

A delicious dessert. Our family always concludes the festivities with "brownie delights," which are brownies covered in ice cream and chocolate syrup.

A willful suspension of personal dignity. This is not a holiday for serious business. This is a holiday for drawing on the table, wearing silly hats, and enjoying yourself. Let down your hair, and have fun!