Well, we’ve got an idea.

At Prost! Productions, we don’t believe the good times in life happen only on the weekend. Work, too, can be a source of joy and satisfaction, if we just remember to watch for the moments that matter.

That’s why we’re proposing a Hump Day Toast at close of business every Wednesday. Raise a glass of wine to one person who has made your work worthwhile in the past seven days. Maybe it’s a new customer you just landed, an IT person who found your lost files, or just the guy in the next cubicle who remembered your name on the very first day. The point is to find people you appreciate — and let them know.

We’ll be offering our first Hump Day Toast this evening on Twitter. Follow us @prostcards to see who it is and what we’re drinking. Better yet, offer your own toast, and mark it with the hashtag #humptoast so others can enjoy it too.

Prost!

Gay men and lesbians have come a long way since Stonewall, but pressure from family and society can still make it difficult to live a fully open life. So if you have a friend or loved one who came to grips with their sexuality in the last year, make it a point on Sunday to offer your support … and a toast.

What’s the proper drink for celebrating National Coming Out Day? Tough question. The stereotype would be “long necks for lesbians and cosmos for queers” — and if you’ve ever read this blog, you know we never pass up the chance to have fun with a good stereotype.

But if you’re looking for a slightly more thoughtful way to mark the occasion, try this: Take your friend to a wine shop, set a dollar value, and allow them to choose. Whatever they select, you have to drink without judgment and without criticism. Even if they go for a white Zinfandel. Or something in a box. Because really, that’s what National Coming Out Day is all about — the freedom to choose who you want to be without fear of judgment or reprisal.

Whatever your flavor, we salute you. Prost!

The day has been recognized under federal law since 1964, though bankers and mail carriers for 45 years have grudgingly continued to show up for work on Oct. 9. President Barack Obama, perhaps thinking of his favorite Golden Girl, even signed a presidential proclamation on Wednesday, noting that “Nordic Americans have contributed immeasurably to the success of America.”

Celebrating Leif Erikson Day in a culturally sensitive way can be difficult — not because Native American organizations might object, but simply because Scandinavian alcoholic beverages are relatively unknown in the U.S. A Google search for “Scandinavian wine” was fruitless (so to speak), so if you have any good suggestions, please note them below. In the meantime, we did turn up a recipe for spiced Scandinavian mulled cider that sounded promising.

Rather than wine, Scandinavia seems to be best known for aquavit, a potato-based liquor flavored with caraway. In Chicago, home to a large Scandinavian-American population, the North Shore Distillery makes a Private Reserve aquavit that sounds worth a special trip. From the tasting notes:

“Yellow straw color with a chartreuse cast. Vibrant and stimulating aromas of pink peppercorns, cardamom, lemongrass, medicinal roots and herbs, and sandalwood follow through on a silky entry to a dryish medium-to-full body with a touch of tilled earth a long, spicy fade. Excellent flavor, purity and depth.”

Aquavit, like tequila, varies greatly in quality. If you can’t find one worth savoring straight from a shot glass, you can still toast the Vikings with an aquavit cocktail. We found lots of recipes, including the Cloudberry Dream and the braver-sounding Harm’s Way.

After a couple of these drinks, we might be ready to call a cab and join our friends from the Norwegian National League in their annual laying of a wreath at the Leif Erikson statue in Chicago’s Humboldt Park. Cheers … and oofdah!

Not sure where to start with German wine? German Wine Estates offers a great primer, including tasting notes and tips for deciphering those scary-looking labels.

If you’re celebrating tonight with a German-American friend, add a prost!card to your bottle to help memorialize the occasion. And for heaven’s sake, don’t say “Cheers” when you clink that glass. Say it the German way: Prost!