National Joygerm Day is a holiday that might seem to have a nonsensical name, but once you learn what it means, it makes perfect sense. The purpose of this holiday is to remind everyone that joy is a germ that can be passed from one person to another.

If you have a positive attitude and outlook, you can spread that joy to other people. This holiday is observed on January 8th annually and is the perfect day for people to go out there with a positive attitude and spread joy to friends, family members, and even complete strangers.

The History of National Joygerm Day

This holiday was created by Joan White in 1981. She was an associate of Bud Coolican—an advertising man who invented a number of ad jingles that could be found on Syracuse radio stations. After his death, she decided to go out on her own, working with clients such as the Shrine Circus and the Ice Capades Show.

On January 8, 1981, she felt the vibrations of her deceased mother, Nora (whose birthday just so happens to be January 8th), as she read a story about a California couple who were offering to worry for people for a fee. She decided to turn that thought inside out and invented Joygerms—a day to spread joy to everyone.

Observing National Joygerm Day

The whole purpose of this holiday is for people to radiate positive thoughts for one another. You can start this by writing affirmations on your refrigerator for yourself to look at before you start your day or inspire yourself with inspirational music.

Once that’s done, you can then spread that joy to everyone in your life—friends, family members, coworkers, and anyone you come across during the day. It’s a day to make everyone happy and to spread joy.