Monday, August 1, 2011

Made-Up Holidays

by Laura Bickle

Few things get me rantier than holidays.

I don't tend to get very excited about traditional holidays. To me, they dissolve quickly into exhausting travel demands, gift wish lists, menu battles, and general pain-in-the-assness. Holidays, to me, are all expectation-laden and guilt-trippy.

So...yeah. I've had enough of traditional holidays. But I love the made-up ones.

Not the card-company manufactured ones, like Grandparents' Day. I'm talking about the ones we create for ourselves. The ones that you and maybe your nearest and dearest celebrate, that have special meaning that you've created for yourself.

Things like...the anniversary of when my husband and I got married. And the anniversary of our first date. Cat birthdays. International Talk Like a Pirate Day - that's a good one. We make a really ridiculous cake every year for that one, with action figures on top. We celebrate the start of Renaissance Festival, the big yellow cheese moons in fall. I celebrate the first days of spring by cleaning out the house and washing the floors with a lavender oil floor wash. The dog days of summer are now being celebrated in a kiddie pool in the backyard. We watch the Perseid meteor shower every year with marshmallows to toast.




Celebrations don't have to be big or conform to social expectations. But there's nearly always something to celebrate, and I'm down with that.

Speaking of things to celebrate: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9486-feeding-the-vampire.aspx

Jeffe Kennedy's new release is coming up August 3!

7 comments:

  1. I can understand how you feel about traditional holidays. That's why we decided a couple of years ago to stop trying to please others with Christmas and just celebrate it at home without any other people around.

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  2. Boy, now *I* really want a cake like that! And yes, Wednesday is Book Birthday. Cake for everyone!

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  3. Yay for cheese moons and pet birthdays!

    Now, about that lavender oil floor wash -- does that work on hardwoods too? ~casts pitiful gaze at neglected floor~

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  4. Sullivan, that's exactly what we're going to try to do this year! I want to stay home. ;-)

    Congrats, Jeffe!

    KAK, I do use it on hardwood floors. You can put a few drops into your rinse water or add it to Murphy's Oil soap. I have yet to find an essential oil that doesn't hurt hardwood if it's used in moderation. Peppermint is one of my favorites for winter.

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  5. ~looks at brick floors~
    ~feels envy~
    ~thinks, probably no....~

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  6. And a lovely way to mark the passing of times and seasons.

    I happen to love some of the traditional holidays, myself. Love Christmas decorating and music, and the turkey. Easter means I get to color eggs and eat chocolate. So many years of good memories, all piled on top of each other. And I love that.

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  7. Holidays in general are a PITA that seem to be laden with the expectation that I recreate someone else's childhood. This is why I like the pagan holidays. Soltice - staying up all night around the fire, eating, drinking, chatting with friends and watching for sun rise. And then realizing I'm too old for that nonsense and paying for it for three days after...

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