On the first day of business, Harry F. Klemfuss of Young and Rubicam gave the country National Secretary’s Day in April of 1952 which turned into National Professional Secretaries’ Week and is now called Administrative Professionals’ Day.
On the second day of business, the Ms. Foundation for Women created Take Our Daughters To Work Day. First celebrated on the fourth Thursday in April in 1992, the nationwide event was designed to show little girls the careers that await them. The holiday morphed into Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day in 2003 and has since evolved into its own nonprofit educational program in the US, Canada and Australia.
On the third day of business, Patricia Bays Haroski, a secretary at State Farm Insurance Company in Deerfield, registered October 16 as National Boss’s Day in 1958 yet the Hallmark Greeting Company didn’t acknowledge it with cards until 1979.
On the fourth day of business, President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Much later, retailers would remain open to get a jump on holiday sales and refer to Thanksgiving as Grey Thursday since it precedes Black Friday.
On the fifth day of business, retailers offer discounts across the board on Black Friday. The term caught on in 1981 when the Philadelphia Inquirer explained the day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year—thus taking retailers out of the red (debt) and putting them in the black (profit).
On the sixth day of business, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and American Express declared in 2010 that the day after Black Friday would become Small Business Saturday so consumers would patronize mom and pop shops.
On the seventh day of business, online retailers and e-commerce companies began offering deals the Monday after Thanksgiving Day weekend, which is now known as Cyber Monday.
On the eighth day of business, Giving Tuesday began in 2012 when 2,600 nonprofit organizations received donations on the day after Cyber Monday.
On the ninth day of business, Green Monday was born on the second Monday of December. Its colorful term refers to money since the day extends Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
On the tenth day of business, Luke Knowles created Free Shipping Day in December of 2009 to motivate consumers to shop online during the holiday season.
On the eleventh day of business, retailers regularly gear up for Super Saturday, which is typically the second busiest shopping day of the year since it’s the last Saturday before Christmas.
On the twelfth day of business, Luke Knowles created another shopping tradition: Gift Card Exchange Day which takes place on December 26, otherwise known as Boxing Day.
