Don’t Make Your Bed Day is observed on the first day of winter, usually December 21. This liberating holiday grants everyone permission to skip the morning chore of straightening sheets and fluffing pillows, coinciding with the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
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History of Don’t Make Your Bed Day
The holiday was created in 2014 by a fifth-grader named Shannon Barba from Tijeras, New Mexico. After years of diligently making his bed every morning to please his parents, he questioned the necessity of the task. He reasoned that since December 21 is typically the winter solstice—the day with the fewest hours of sunlight—people spend the most time in bed and the least time out of it, making the effort to tidy it up seem particularly futile. He even wrote to Congress to petition for the day to be recognized nationally.
Interestingly, science provided unexpected support for Barba’s campaign. A study conducted by researchers at Kingston University in London suggested that leaving a bed unmade might actually be healthier. The average bed can be home to over a million dust mites, which thrive in the warm, humid environment created by a sleeper’s body heat. When the bed is made immediately upon waking, that moisture is trapped. Leaving the covers thrown back exposes the mattress to air and light, dehydrating the mites and potentially reducing allergens.
Why is Don’t Make Your Bed Day important?
This day offers a rare reprieve from the pressure of daily perfection. In a world where “hustle culture” often dictates that successful people must start their day with a made bed to build momentum, this holiday challenges that narrative. It reminds us that it is okay to be messy sometimes and that skipping a small chore will not cause the world to fall apart. It legitimizes a moment of laziness during one of the busiest and most stressful times of the year.
Beyond the psychological break, the day highlights a genuine hygienic benefit. It educates people about the invisible ecosystem living in their bedding. By encouraging airflow and reducing humidity, this observance promotes a healthier sleeping environment, especially for those suffering from asthma or allergies. It turns an act of apparent laziness into a proactive health measure, proving that sometimes doing nothing is the best course of action.
- It gives a guilt-free break from morning chores.
- The unmade bed helps kill dust mites by drying them out.
- It coincides with the shortest day of the year.
- The day encourages questioning routine habits.
- It promotes a more relaxed start to the morning.
How to Celebrate Don’t Make Your Bed Day
The most obvious way to celebrate is to simply roll out of bed and walk away.Resist the urge to straighten the duvet or arrange the decorative pillows. Leave the sheets crumpled exactly where they are and go about your day with the satisfaction of having one less thing to do. If you live with others, inform them of the holiday so they do not tidy up for you out of habit.
If you want to take the “airing out” concept further, strip the bed completely. Remove the sheets and pillowcases and throw them in the wash, leaving the bare mattress exposed to the air for several hours. Open a window if the weather permits to increase circulation. This maximizes the anti-dust mite benefits and ensures that when you finally do make your bed—perhaps the next day—you will be crawling into fresh, clean linens.
- Leave your blankets in a messy pile all day.
- Strip the sheets to let the mattress breathe.
- Sleep in a little later than usual.
- Open the curtains to let sunlight hit the mattress.
- Tell a friend about the benefits of an unmade bed.
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