Leap Year 2012: What Will You Do With Your Extra Day This Year?

It happens only once every four years: Next week there will be a February 29. Many leap year babies -- like this 83-year old celebrating her “21st birthday” -- will get the rare chance to celebrate their actual birthdays -- and put up with jokes about eternal youth, along with some minor life intrusion from local camera crews.

Even if it’s not your birthday, there could be something in this bonus day for you. For instance, you could take advantage of a leap year travel deal -- Disney Theme Parks are staying open for 24 hours straight on the 29th, which the company is calling “One More Disney Day,” and hotels around the globe are offering offering “leap year deals” with 29 percent off discounts to travelers.

Even if you’re stuck at your desk, you stand to benefit: As The Wall Street Journal points out, the extra day in February means an extra Sunday and Monday in December 2012 , meaning that employees whose paydays fall on either of those days will get an extra check for that year.

And in case you want to know more about leap years, this infographic from online coupon retailer CheapSally.com pretty much explains it all: