Beautiful Day

What the day is

Beautiful Day is observed on November 20. It is an informal observance whose creator and origin are not documented, and its meaning is deliberately open. The simplest reading is also the best: take a moment to notice what is beautiful around you, however ordinary.

It is hard to argue with a holiday whose only instruction is to look up. In late November the light is low and golden, the leaves are mostly down and the air is often sharp, which makes a good day for it.

Origin and background

Because the day has no known source, its name gets attached to a few cultural touchstones. The rock band U2 released a song called Beautiful Day in 2000, and it won several Grammy Awards. The Beach Boys recorded a song called It's a Beautiful Day in 1979. In a lighter vein, Sesame Street fans may remember the Beautiful Day Monster, a Jim Henson puppet character that appeared in the 1960s and 70s and kept trying, and failing, to wreck a beautiful day.

Psychologists who study well-being have found that deliberately noticing positive things can improve mood. Writing down three good things at the end of the day, a technique used in several studies of gratitude, is the best-known version, and spending time outside has similar effects. None of this requires perfect weather. Moments of beauty turn up in bad weather too.

How to take part

• Go outside for a walk and take note of three things you find beautiful, large or small.
• Take a photograph of something ordinary that looks lovely in the light of the moment.
• Tell someone what you appreciate about them. A compliment is a very quick way to make a day better.
• Listen to a favorite song with the name in its title, or put on something that lifts your mood.
• Do one small thing that makes a place look better, such as tidying a shared space or putting out flowers.