On February 26th, the U.S. celebrates National Tell A Fairy Tale Day, which could displace International Talk Like A Pirate Day as my favorite unofficial holiday. Although its origins appear shrouded in almost complete mystery, National Tell A Fairy Tale Day is widely attested, as the occasion to “snuggle up in your corner chair or sofa with the children sitting near you or maybe all gather around a campfire as it is a day to celebrate by telling your favorite fairy tale or making up one of your own.”

And fairy tales are anything but outdated. As Marina Warner remarks in her recently published Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale, “considered children’s literature for a dominant period of their history, fairy tales have now grown out of that Victorian and Edwardian prescription and have gained a new stature over the last twenty years, both as inspiration for literature, and for mass, lucrative entertainment. Thematic and structural similarities continue to attach contemporary fictions to popular and ancient legends and myths. Fairy tales are one of their dominant expressions, connective tissue between a mythological past and the present realities.”

So tonight, why not draw close to the fire, call the children – if you have any – “tap the dark corners of your subconscious and see what you find…” Sounds like a fairytale ending to your day …

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