NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY
December 13th National Ice Cream Day is here and we should all celebrate. National Ice Cream Day started in 1984 as a way to honor the hardworking people who make it possible for us to enjoy so many flavors and unique treats.
On December 13th you won’t hear the ice cream truck with its lovely tune drive by your house. (Another National Ice Cream Day is in July for those who like it hot.) Your favorite ice cream shop might be closed for the year. But it’s still a wonderful reason to treat yourself or share with your friends and family to an ice cream cone or two.
Today, National Ice Cream day is celebrated across social media platforms – be sure to share your favorite flavor or story on Twitter using #NationalIceC. In addition, it falls on the international recognized December global holidays month.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY
People in the Persian Empire ages ago used to make snow in a bowl, pour concentrated grape juice over it, and eat it as a treat. They would enjoy this delicious treat even when the weather was hot. Their secret? They stored snow inside underground chambers called yakchals, which kept the ice from melting. The Persians also visited the mountain peaks of their summer capital to collect fresh snowfall.
The Chinese, under the Tang Dynasty in 697 AD, began using salt and ice to chill dairy. However, the results aren’t identical to today’s ice cream. Frozen desserts and beverages are later inventions that culinary historians give credit to Naples, Italy as the birthplace of the first ice cream. They attribute Antonio Latini as the inventor. He was born in 1642 and developed a milk-based sorbet.
In the United States, the Quakers are credited with bringing their ice recipes with them when they immigrated. During the colonial period, they created the first ice cream shops in New York and other cities.
Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson liked ice cream. Dolley Madison served ice cream at the Inaugural Ball in 1813. Augustus Jackson, an African American confectioner, developed several ice cream recipes and a better method of making ice cream in 1832. Nancy Johnson from Phila. became the first woman to receive a U.S. patent for a small-scale hand-cranked ice cream freezer in 1843. Harry Burt put the first ice cream trucks on the road in 1920.
Thomas Jefferson was the inventor of vanilla ice cream. According to legend, his recipe for Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream is the oldest in the United States. The following recipe comes from the Library of Congress. For ease of reading, the transcription is word-for-word.
“Take half a pint of sweet cream & pour it in a tin pail, add to it a quarter of a pound of refined sugar. Mix this with your hands until the whole is incorporated, then set it in ice for about an hour. Afterwards, put it into your freezing pot and turn it from one dish to another until it becomes hard; then mold and pack in salt and ice well covered; let it stand two hours before you serve up dinner and after dinner three hours; the success depends on moving [stirring] slowly from one part to another: when taken out & brought indoors beat well with rods till light and smooth.”
– Thomas Jefferson’s Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe (Library of Congress)
The holiday was later adopted by Pennsylvania dairy farmer, Alfred Pegram, along with Christian Kent Nelson Sr., president of what would become the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA.) On that first National Ice Cream Day, Mr. Nelson sent out about 100 telegrams (about $25 worth) promoting National Ice Cream Day.
Three scoops of ice cream are consumed every second in the United States. National Ice Cream Day is on December 13th each year, but ice cream can be enjoyed all year round. There are many flavors to choose from, including some that may sound strange such as “7-Eleven Slurpee.” National Ice Cream Day was established so ice cream lovers could celebrate this frozen treat on the same day across the country.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY:
Scoop up a bowl and indulge in National Ice Cream Day. The National Ice Cream Retailers Association created National Ice Cream Day as a celebration of one of America’s favorite desserts. Host an ice cream social with family or friends to mark this day, enjoying National Ice Cream Day as a special treat. Also, National Ice Cream Month runs from July 15 through August 15, so be sure to celebrate the whole month long! Use #NationalIceCreamDay for your photos on Twitter and Instagram. National Ice Cream Day is always the third Sunday in July.
Activities to Participate In on National Ice Cream Day
Visit an ice cream shop that hasn’t changed since the early 1900s.
- If you’re looking for a throwback to an earlier era to mark National Ice Cream Day, go to your local ice cream shop or diner and order a milkshake or sundae. When you go the parlor on National Ice Cream Day, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported 60 years into the past.
- When National Ice Cream Day falls on a weekday, dress up in your favorite ice cream-themed costume and head to work for an ice cream social! Ask everyone at the office or workplace to stop by your desk with their own favorite flavor of ice cream. Begin National Ice Cream Day early by raising a toast to National Ice Cream Day at breakfast time.
- Make National Ice Cream Day even sweeter by making your own ice cream. Try out one of these National Ice Cream Month recipes:
- National Coconut Macaroon Ice Cream Recipe
- This National Ice Cream Month, get creative with National Macaroon Day by combining two summer desserts into one delicious celebration. Whip up this easy National Macaroon Day recipe featuring, sweetened condensed milk, coconut, vanilla extract, egg whites and National Ice Cream Month. Keep reading to learn about National Ice Cream Day facts
Get plenty of toppings
- Cover your ice cream with delicious pieces of a favorite candy bar or drizzle it with chocolate sauce for the best taste. Double the chocolate, double the pleasure.
- Enjoy National Ice Cream Day as a cake
- If you want an even more decadent National Ice Cream Day, build your own ice cream cake. You can start with chocolate wafers and then add layers of rich vanilla or chocolate ice cream and top it all off with whipped cream and/or sprinkles.
- After a long day at work, nothing is better than a drink or a bowl of ice cream to take the edge off a stressful day. We say, why not have both? A boozy chocolate cocktail will leave both drinkers and chocolate lovers satisfied — nothing beats a chocolate buzz.
- Get your National Ice Cream Day celebration on with these free National Ice Cream Day printables online. National Ice Cream Day is the perfect time to show someone you care by taking them out for a sweet treat or surprising them with delicious chocolate ice cream. Celebrate National Ice Cream Day at home with the recipe cards, the invitation printable or decorate your dessert table with our banner. Simply click each link below to download the file and save it to your computer before printing. When you are ready to print, select File > Print in your browser menu options. If you are using Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 9+, set margins to “Narrow” and ensure scaling is set to “None
Celebrate National Ice Cream Day by sharing some with your family and friends! Play around with different tastes or go to your favorite ice cream shop. Give them a shout-out on social media as well! #NationalIceCreamDay is a hashtag to use when posting on social media.
So National Ice Cream Day is a great time to show off your ice cream skills. National Ice Cream Day provides an opportunity to go out and buy some ice cream or make some at home. National Ice Cream Day might be, but it’s still the perfect time to celebrate with an ice cream treat.
NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY FAQ’s
WHAT IS NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY?
National Ice Cream Day is an observance that occurs each year on the third Sunday in July. The National Ice Cream Retailers Association created National Ice Cream Day as a way to celebrate one of America’s favorite desserts. National Ice Cream Month runs from July 15 through August 15, so be sure to celebrate the whole month long.
Why is ice cream Day celebrated?
President Ronald Reagan is credited with establishing National Ice Cream Day. He decided he would designate a day in 1984 for ice cream since more than 90% of the population loved it.
Is it National Ice Cream Month?
From the International Dairy Foods Association: “National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day are observed in July & December of each year, as designated by President Ronald as the Ice Cream Months.
NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY FUTURE DATES
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Friday, December 13, 2024
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Sunday, December 13, 2026
Monday, December 13, 2027
For more information check out our All Glorious December Global Holidays article here.
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