It may not be a federal holiday, but January 21 is still cause for celebration. It’s National Hugging Day! And, really, who doesn’t love a good hug?
There are all kinds of hugs: the I’m-here-for-you hug, the so-nice-to-see-you hug, the thank-you hug… really, the possibilities are endless. So in the spirit of spreading the love, we’ve compiled a list of celebrities who we would use the “National Hugging Day” excuse on if we happened to run into them on the 21st.
So while you get your arms prepped for all those hugs you’re about to give, check out who made our list and tell us who else would be on yours!
Katy Perry
It’s no secret that Katy is going through a difficult time right now. We had been rooting for Katy and Russell Brand to last forever, but with the impending divorce it seems all but hopeless. We would give her a hug just let her know we’re there for her and that she will get through this.
While Katy seems to be putting on an admirable strong front, we don’t blame her for being upset over the divorce. She even canceled her appearance at the People’s Choice Awards last weekend, which would have been her first appearance since news of the break-up, to keep out of the limelight. We love you Katy! *Hug*
Steven Tyler
This rock legend has always been a favorite of ours, but since joining the judging table for American Idol last season, we’ve discovered that many more reasons to adore him. Sure, he may be a little crude at times, but we’ve seen his heart, his passion, his vocals and his reaction to hearing a true talent and that’s enough to push him even further up the ranks.
But what really landed him a spot on the list was after watching last night’s conclusion of the two-night premiere event for Season 11 of American Idol. Everyone loves Steven, this is no surprise, but with every contestant and their mother getting the opportunity to hug Steven and come away raving about it, he definitely is added to our lets-hug list.
Demi Lovato
Demi’s tale this past year is nothing short of inspirational. We admit, as much as we love Demi, last year she would have made this list with a different sort of hug after being admitted into rehab for a myriad of issues, but she has truly transformed her life, her image and her role model status.
She can now be the image of hope and support that we all originally may have pictured her. She is a symbol of strength, positivity and, now, sobriety. If that doesn’t deserve a hug, well, we don’t know what does.
Vin Diesel
It takes a special sort of actor – and man – to pull off the tough guy role AND the family friendly role. But Vin does it with ease. Not only does he give us a sense of protection, but a surprising sense of warmth and humor.
Not to mention, he stated this past year in an issue of “Men’s Health Journal” that he likes hugging. So, uh, we’re not going to deny him.
Giuliana Rancic
It has been a trying year for this host. After being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, she announced it to the whole world, underwent a double mastectomy among other treatments and has returned to work.
She’s one of the strongest women in Hollywood and has proved herself to not just be a role model but a beacon of hope. She’s shown that she is a fighter and for that, we not just admire and congratulate her, but we put her on the lets-hug list.
Jon Bon Jovi
He’s Jon Bon Jovi, so to be quite honest – we don’t need a reason to want to hug this Renaissance man. But, he did beat out other celebs who we would have argued the same reasons for (think Ryan Gosling) because of that terrifying death rumor that spread about him last month.
Thankfully he is alive and even proved it with a picture of himself where he’s holding a sign that is dated that very day, but we’d like to hug him just to make 3000% sure that he’s alive and well. And, again, he’s Jon Bon Jovi. ‘Nuff said.
The Cast of Harry Potter
Everyone gets that feeling from time to time like something is missing. But, sadly, we know what is missing from our lives now that the Harry Potter series is finished and all the last movie has been released just this past year. No longer do we have the promise of new storylines and information to discover.
We still have the movies to watch and the books to read and we even have the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to visit when we need a true dose of Hogwarts, but we would love to just give the cast of the Harry Potter movies a hug so that we can get a better sense of goodbye. It’s never really goodbye, but a wrap-up hug would just put us more at ease.
Revenge’s Daniel Grayson
Revenge is arguably the best new show on TV and features a great collection of characters. But one that stands out as someone we would really like to hug is Daniel Grayson. He doesn’t want to just be the rich boy. He’s sweet, he’s caring… and he has no idea what’s coming down the line for him.
This would probably be a long hug, because we not only thing he’s a great guy, but we know that as much as he loves Emily, he is going to get hurt. Both literally and figuratively. So we’d really like to hug him while we can and try not to cry while doing so.
Howie Mandel
Okay, at first glance this may seem a strange choice. But Howie is an unstoppable force and he seems like a great guy. Between America’s Got Talent, Deal of No Deal and Mobbed, Howie shows no signs of stopping down and for this we are definitely always excited to see him.
But we’d be lying if we didn’t admit that part of the reason he made the list is because of what we imagine to be the exclusivity of his hugs. The man has mysophobia, an irrational fear of germs, so the hugs may be few and far between (we have seen him hug people!), but we’d like to be among the few people who can say we’ve hugged Howie!
The Impractical Jokers
We hope you’ve heard of this show by now, if not already fallen in love with it, or else we’re afraid you haven’t been getting the appropriate doses of laughter on Thursday nights. Joe, Murray, Sal and Q are the four best friends behind this tear-inducing laugh riot series and they would definitely be getting a “thank you” hug.
Thank you, guys, for coming into our lives when reality TV was at an all-time bore and providing us with endless enjoyment. Really, it’s endless; we can watch the repeats over and over and laugh like we’ve never seen it before. Besides, for what they put themselves through, they deserve a little – arguably a lot of – love.