Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 81 years old tomorrow were he still alive. While many of us may have a holiday on Monday to celebrate his life, few people know what to do to actually get in the spirit of the holiday to honor this great leader. Check online or your local paper for some great ways to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  If  you don’t see any in your area, you can certainly make up your own! And don’t forget to check out the National Day of Service website at mlkday.gov.

Here are some ideas for celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday this year:

1. Watch a great documentary on Martin Luther King, Jr., the Civil Rights movement, or Black History. Personally, I like the A&E documentaries, and you can usually rent those from your local public library.

2. Say “no” to bad daytime TV with a Day of Service! Don’t stay home and vegetate — volunteer! The National Day of Service initiative has a great website dedicated to helping you find great activities to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and help your community. Go to mlkday.gov for more info!

3. Listen to his ingenious speeches. Few people have the power to move people with words the way Martin Luther King did. Listen to his famous speeches and feel the history captured in his words: The Great March to Freedom, The Great March on Washington, Free at Last, and others are great lessons in the power of eloquence to change history.

4. Throw a Southern style party! Rumor has it that Dr. King was a huge fan of pecan pie and Southern food in general. Get a great southern food cookbook like The All-New Southern Living Cookbook – it’s got virtually every Southern recipe you could ever dream of making!

Got any great ideas to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Please share!