Although, by almost all accounts, being abducted by ETs is a rather unpleasant experience, March 20th marks the unofficial holiday known as 'Alien Abduction Day.'
A veritable festive version of Stockholm Syndrome, Alien Abduction Day serves to put a smiley face on the alleged phenomenon of an advanced species surreptitiously stealing humans, doing all manner of odd things to them, and then putting them back to deal with the consequences.
Putting aside the unsavory aspects of the phenomenon, here are a few ways in which one can celebrate alien abductions and how they've impacted our world:
- Make a pilgrimage to the Betty and Barney Hill highway marker on Route 3 in Lincoln, New Hampshire. The monument commemorates the 1961 incident which is widely credited with being the first American abduction case to gain serious attention from researchers and the media.
- Watch Fire in the Sky, the 1993 film which chronicled the amazing abduction story of Travis Walton. The iconic abduction case saw Walton disappear for several days following a UFO encounter, leaving chaos and confusion in his wake until he returned with an even more amazing story of being taken by the craft.
- Appreciate the amazing artwork of pioneering abduction researcher and artist Budd Hopkins, who passed away in 2011. Hopkins' book Missing Time served as a catalyst for the explosion of ET abduction research in the 1980's to the point that he became synonymous with the phenomenon, but before, during, and after all that, he was also an acclaimed artist.
- Sharpen up your Christopher Walken impression while watching Communion, the 1989 movie about the abduction experiences of author Whitley Strieber. Abduction aficionados may recall that the book on which the film is based boasted an iconic cover image of an alien entity which has repeatedly been said to trigger memories of unsettling experiences from possible former abductees.
- Get abducted. Perhaps the hardest way to celebrate the holiday is to truly invest in the festivities by being abducted by aliens. This, of course, requires a lot of work from the ETs and more than likely a little bit of luck. Since UFOs seem to prefer their abductions in the form of single servings, it's probably not best to attempt to be abducted in a group.
Image courtesy of Mike Stevens