By Ella Wong

Celebrated on the 7th of November, Hug a Bear Day is a little-known holiday where you do just that: hug a bear!

Don’t actually trudge out into the woods and attempt to cuddle a massive black bear, though—I mean hug your childhood friend, your teddy bear (or any of your beloved stuffed animal friends); the one who protected you from fearsome monsters at night, and was always there to soothe bad dreams in the morning.

Give them a nice snuggle-up, and if you like, bring them on this journey through time.

The teddy bear’s history goes back a long way.

In 1902, president Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in Mississippi. But while everyone else on the hunting trip located a bear, he didn’t. (I suggest you cover your teddy bear’s eyes at this point. Or stop reading aloud to them.)

Knowing how eager Roosevelt was to find a bear, his guide on the trip, Holt Collier, tied a bear to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot.

But he wouldn’t, declaring that it was unsportsmanlike.

News of Roosevelt’s compassion quickly spread across the country. Cartoons were made of it, articles were printed in newspapers. A couple who owned a candy shop together, Rose and Morris Michtom, read the articles and saw the cartoons, and had a brilliant idea. Together, they created a stuffed bear toy and displayed it in their candy shop window.

They called it “Teddy’s Bear”, after the president.

It was such a hit that to this day, the Teddy Bear remains loved throughout the world.

There’s nothing more comforting than a nice, big, warm hug—and that holds true for teddies too (probably).

While Hug a Bear Day is mainly about thanking your furry friend, take this opportunity to hug your human friends and family as well; or give them a warm hug from your teddy bear.

Great fuzzy cuddles are the best, and everyone needs one once in a while.

As family therapist Virginia Satir once said, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”

Not only do hugs reduce stress, fear and loneliness, but they’re also linked to heart health and can even help you fight off illnesses. Besides, who doesn’t feel nice after a hug?

Love, trust and safety are important, and that’s just a few of the warm feelings you get from an embrace. 

Having a hug is like a cup of hot chocolate; swirled with milk, cinnamon, and that secret ingredient unique to everyone.

Bear hug, anyone?