Not so long ago, the world felt like a smaller place, and everybody knew everybody else in their neighborhood. Now, many of us aren’t familiar with our neighbors, and only speak to them in passing.
Why not use Good Neighbor Day as an opportunity to lend a proverbial cup of sugar, and get to know the people who live nearby?
Learn about Good Neighbor Day
Good Neighbor Day is a day that has been designed to encourage us to be good neighbors. By doing this, it is believed that we can build thriving communities. Of course, the date is also important in terms of paying tribute to the good neighbors that we already have in our lives. If you have a close bond with your neighbors, now is the right time to let them know that you appreciate their efforts and that you are glad that they are your neighbor.
You don’t need to have a close friendship with your neighbor to recognize that they are a good person. Does your neighbor always mow your front lawn when they are doing their own? That’s not just a good neighbor; it is a great one! It is things like this that we should be applauding and recognizing on Good Neighbor Day.
After all, it is a blessing to have a good neighbor. We are sure that you have all heard those nightmare stories about people who have neighbors from hell! We should appreciate our neighbors and make an effort to get to them. It seems that people are not as close with their neighbors today as they used to be. Let’s make a dedicated effort to change this!
History of Good Neighbor Day
Good Neighbor Day has been celebrated since the early 1970s. This is when it was created by Becky Mattson of Montana’s Lakeside. She created the day because she wanted to connect with and recognize the importance of strong leaders. The President in 1978, Jimmy Carter, signed Proclamation, 4601, establishing this date as Good Neighbor Day. The President stated that people should observe the day with appropriate activities and ceremonies, stating the following:
“As our Nation struggles to build friendship among the peoples of this world, we are mindful that the noblest human concern is concern for others. Understanding, love and respect build cohesive families and communities. The same bonds cement our Nation and the nations of the world. For most of us, this sense of community is nurtured and expressed in our neighborhoods where we give each other an opportunity to share and feel part of a larger family…I call upon the people of the United States and interested groups and organizations to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
The date was changed in 2004. But it is still all about raising public awareness that we can build thriving and strong communities by being good neighbors.
How to celebrate Good Neighbor Day
Someone who loves a neighbor allows him to be as he is, as he was, and as he will be.
Michel Quoist
Of course, the best way to celebrate Good Neighbor Day is to be a good neighbor! You can do this by baking some cookies for your neighbor or offering to help them in some way. For example, if your neighbor does not drive, why not offer to take them grocery shopping or to pick up a few bits from the store for them?
You could also send your neighbor a lovely greeting card, thanking them for being a great neighbor and letting them know that you appreciate them. Something small like this can make a massive difference, making someone feel special and putting a smile on their face. It’s good to do things like that, right?
There are plenty of other ways that you can be a good neighbor and make your neighbors feel happy on this date. This includes introducing them to your pets or simply having a general conversation with them. Why not decide to have a street party so that all of the neighbors on your street can get together and have a good time?
This is a great way to make sure that everyone is included, and it gives all of your neighbors the perfect opportunity to get to know one and other properly. This is a good idea if you live in a neighborhood where people don’t really spend a lot of time together.
You can also use Good Neighbor Day as an opportunity to read about heartwarming stories whereby neighbors have helped one and other. All you need to do is a quick search online and you will see that there are plenty of amazing stories, which will warm your heart and make you smile! We’ll help you start by telling you about the incredible story of Angie Tyma and her neighbors. Angie was a resident of Hudson, in Florida, and she had lived in her house for 35 years. Sadly, her husband had passed away 20 years ago, resulting in Angie’s friend purchasing her property and then renting it back to her.
However, the house had to be sold because that person stopped paying the mortgage, resulting in the lender foreclosing. Her neighbor, Danielle Calder, decided to purchase the house in 2016 for $167,500. She then rented it back to Angie for her 89th birthday. She said that it was the right thing to do because the whole neighborhood is a family. Now if that is not a good neighbor, we don’t know what is!
Finally, another great way to celebrate Good Neighbor Day is by simply watching a movie about neighbors! There are so many great films out there that are based on the relationships between neighbors, although we must admit that a lot of them are more horrific than good relationships, but you will have a lot of laughs watching them.
You could even watch a movie with your neighbor and get the popcorn in. We would recommend watching The ‘Burbs, which is a hilarious Tom Hanks film. Hanks plays Ray Peterson who is horrified when an odd family moves in down the block.
They are known as the Klopeks. With the help of his militia-man neighbor and his paranoid boddy, Ray investigates the family! It’s one of Hanks’ most overlooked films, but once you start watching it you will quickly realize that there is a lot to love about it and it is certainly fitting for Good Neighbors Day!
