CHRISTMAS HAS come a little late for redheads this year with the arrival of the annual Kiss A Ginger Day.
Thus Tuesday, January 12, marks a memorable day in the calendar for redheads one and all.
Now more than a decade old, Kiss A Ginger Day isn't just about locking lips - something that's a little trickier right now - it's also a chance to celebrate all things red and follicle - while keeping a safe distance, of course.
Given the current situation, participants this year should only kiss ginger-haired friends and family they either currently reside. But that doesn't mean they can't get involved in over Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp or your video conferencing platform of choice.
Blowing a kiss over video might not have quite the same effect, but it could be a nice way to lift the January gloom and it beats the usual awkward chats or online quizzes.
As ever, organisers are encouraging people to get involved in a variety of weird and wonderful ways, whether it’s enjoying a few ginger biscuits with a cup of tea or popping on a Harry Potter DVD – thank you, Ron Weasley.
Alternatively, you could combine the two or even make it a perfect hat-trick by watching the film with a redhead either online or within your household. In any case, you get the gist of it.
Kiss a Ginger Day was started way back in 2009.
It was the brainchild of organiser Derek Forgie, who was eager to create a positive event around the subject of redheads.
Forgie felt compelled to create the event in direct response to an episode of South Park.
The episode of the controversial cartoon centred around a fictional event Kick a Ginger Day and sparked off a spate of bullying incidents.
"It's a push back against some of the bullying we have seen and some of the marginalisation we have seen,” Forgie previously explained to the Evening Standard.
“And I think some people really resonate with something that's positive,” he said.
Given the combination of boredom, gloom and depression facing so many of us over the next few months, it could provide some welcome respite and a chance to get the creative juices flowing.
Just don't go hosting any social gathering. Stay at home and protect ginger folk far and wide.
