Every calendar year has eleven federal holidays and over sixty religious holidays, but my favorite holiday has always been the 4th of July. Lots of food, fun, and friends! I don’t dislike the other holidays, but I don’t enjoy them as much. The reasons are many.
Labor Day is a US federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor the American labor movement and its contribution to America’s industrial success. That’s a good thing, of course. So what’s my problem? Growing up, Labor Day was the last day of summer. The school year always started the day after Labor Day. No more freedom! No more going barefoot and no more sleeping in! I didn’t hate school, but I didn’t love it either. Yes, I went because a kid has to do what a kid has to do. Years later, that is no longer the case, but I still have vestiges of post traumatic stress syndrome about Labor Day.
Columbus Day is a celebrated on the second Monday in October, commemorating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. I liked it because I got a day off work. What’s always bothered me is that, technically, Columbus wasn’t looking for the Americas. He was looking for a passageway to Asia. Why should we celebrate some guy who didn’t know where he was going? Of course, he didn’t have GPS, but he did have the stars! On October 12, 1492, he went ashore at a small island in the Bahamas in the Caribbean—not really that close to America. Anyway, as a kid, I recall the poem, “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Then, the woke movement emerged, and some states now observe it as Indigenous Peoples Day. I bet Columbus wouldn’t like that.
Halloween is a fun time. It’s not an official federal holiday, but a special day that honors the dead! Not the mean dead—the day celebrates the saints, martyrs, and other perfect people. Today, Halloween in America has become a day of horror, marked by scary costumes and skeletons. I always thought Halloween was just a fun time to dress in costume, beg for candy, and, in my adult years, hand out candy to the kids. We seldom had store-bought Halloween masks. Mostly, we would put a decorated brown paper bag over our heads, and a pillowcase would do if we wanted to be a ghost. The pillowcase had to be a worn one. You couldn’t waste a nice pillowcase on such frivolity! Sometimes I got to wear a whole white sheet! My Roberta Raves photo is one of my favorite Halloween costumes as “Cartoon Woman.”
In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day, recognizing the end of World War I. Armistice Day was made a legal holiday in 1938 as a time to honor WWI veterans. In 1954, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans of wars from all eras. Of course, veterans should be honored, but for some, reminders of war bring up negative memories.
Thanksgiving commemorates the 1621 harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoag people in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The day symbolizes gratitude for a successful harvest. If you’re not a turkey fan, it’s not a day of gratitude for you, especially if you tend to overeat. Some families don’t enjoy spending that meal together. Many of them end up in a significant argument that day! By the way, the pilgrims ended up killing off their Thanksgiving guests with their diseases, and even kidnapped and sold some of them in later years. Do you have a relative you would like to do that to after spending a day with them at Thanksgiving?
Christmas – wow! A great occasion, but so much pressure during those religious church programs! As a kid, I had to learn a piece to recite in front of the entire congregation – totally nerve-racking. One year, the line of kids I was in didn’t exit the stage as rehearsed. Some left in one direction and the rest in another. I was embarrassed as the congregation roared in laughter. One year, a young boy solemnly announced to a packed audience during the middle of the program that he had to use the bathroom, but would be right back. My baby sister and I were in the audience with Dad when that happened, and we got a severe case of the giggles. Dad was not amused. He exclaimed that he couldn’t take us anywhere! What’s worse is that we were in our 30s at the time.
Time stands still when you’re a kid waiting for Santa Claus to visit. To top it off, it’s hard to be good for such a long time! Now I just say, “Skip our house! We’re going to be naughty!” I say skip it because I don’t want to receive coal in my sock either! Then there’s the Christmas tree. You kill a living tree and bring it into your house, decorate it with lights and other baubles, and hope it doesn’t catch fire. You’re obligated to buy gifts – things that most people won’t like – a lot of eating and drinking – Christmas song after Christmas song – many making one melancholic or nostalgic – a few major holiday parades that become tiresome after a few minutes, and on I rave. It’s exhausting. If that isn’t enough Holiday torture, someone gives you a fruitcake!
New Year’s is a very special time. It’s a time to lie to yourself that you will become a better person in the new year. Becoming a thinner person can be the biggest lie of all! Sometimes there’s a letdown after all is said and done, and you get on with the next chapter of your life.
Did you know St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish? He was a British missionary in the 5th century in Ireland and was later held prisoner there. I love corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day – even green beer is okay. Dying the Chicago River green was definitely an improvement! So the Irish get drunk – what’s new about that? Easter – torture for some Catholics – for weeks before they have to honor Lent – giving something up they like for several weeks. Of course, being human, some cheat – I know one person who gave up ice! Whoopee! Does anyone really look forward to eating an Easter Egg? I don’t think so. When chocolate bunnies became popular, I was excited until I realized they were hollow! Easter bonnets, dresses, and gloves are all cute, but folks don’t dress up much anymore!
Memorial Day can be depressing. I frequently think about loved ones who have passed away, not just on Memorial Day. I like that family graves are visited and decorated on that day. I don’t do it – I live too far away, but I appreciate those who do! Then there is April Fool’s Day – not really a holiday, but a lot of fun if you’re doing the tricking, not so much if you’re the one being fooled! There are also other days of celebration—Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and so on.
So, back to my favorite July 4th! You don’t have to buy anything – you don’t have to dress up – shorts and t-shirts are perfect – you get to eat stuff you like – hamburgers – hot dogs – potato salad – you don’t have to spend hours shopping and cooking – setting an elaborate table – a picnic will do – everyone is cheerful – colors red, white, and blue are prominent – parades are mainly for the local community – not the big dog parades with marching band after marching band – not extravagant floats – just local politicians riding in cars – and my favorite – a bunch of guys who push their lawn mowers as the lawn brigade – hilarious!
The weather on July 4th is almost always perfect. Then, to top it off, the day ends with a glorious fireworks display. Definitely a joyful day! However, a word of caution—He who drinks a fifth on the fourth may not be able to go forth on the fifth!
Do you have any favorite holidays or ones that you dislike? Your comments are welcome and greatly appreciated.
6 Comments
Loved the fireworks on the fourth also. Remember you were here visiting one fourth and supplied the exclamations over each and everyone shot into the night. We haven’t had fireworks for years. To expensive the city says. Funny how our city can have everything else but not fireworks. Sure miss them The fourth is just another day
Loved the fireworks on the fourth also. Remember you were here visiting one fourth and supplied the exclamations over each and everyone shot into the night. We haven’t had fireworks for years. To expensive the city says. Funny how our city can have everything else but not fireworks. Sure miss them The fourth is just another day
As a kid my favorite holiday was, of course, Christmas! And I love my fruitcake although I didn’t care for my mother’s – too much flour. She made a dark and a light fruitcake every fall to age for Christmas. I keep mine wrapped in cheesecloth and sprinkled sherry on occasion – on the cake that is. As I became a young adult NY Eve became the biggest day of all year! With our “gang” it was adult dress-up time & dancing at a fancy nightclub with kisses at midnight and a new year of adventures awaiting. Easter, as a young married couple, meant filling the girls’ Easter baskets with enough candy to look impressive. I always sewed them bright frilly cotton flared dresses to go with their fancy hats from K-Mart. Now I look forward to finding Cadbury’s Caramel Easter eggs at the grocery stores. Even better the discounted prices closer to Easter. This year in our new home there weren’t any to be found – S. Carolina must not be onto the deliciousness of chocolate and caramel combined. Granted, not as good as the Cadbury I was accustomed to growing up in Canada. But chocolate is chocolate. As a young family the 4th has always been a special celebration with other young couples and their small children. This year the 4th was again special for us in our small new subdivision, organized by the young residents – a “bring a dish” gathering at the community/pool center. Lots of young couples and babies and toddlers galore. Later at home we watched the fireworks from our new patio which is 4 houses away from the source of these well organized fireworks. Memories……..
Roberta,
Great seeing you & Jim on your self-proclaimed “Happiest Holiday”.
Thanks for the great overview on the other, also ran, holidays. Feel like we must’ve been neighbors way back when. Happy fourth!!!
I like the 4th of July for all the reasons you stated. Less is more on that day. It was more fun when the kids were little. We took them to the AA Baseball game with 25-cent hot dogs, popcorn, and peanuts. There was a kids’ play area, too, where they could play if the game got boring. When the game was over, the fireworks started. Oooh, Awww! Fun!
Happy 4th!