With the holiday season upon us, we should probably ask what everyone's favorite holiday is? Do you enjoy getting stuffed on Turkey Day, begging for handouts on Halloween? How about blowing things up on the Fourth of July? Does Canadian Banking Day bring you closure? Or can you just not get enough Kwanzaa. . . and really, who can? So tell us, what's your favorite holiday and what makes it better than the rest?
32 comments:
Andrew,
I used to just enjoy Christmas. I couldn't enjoy Fourth of July because I lived in California. The fireworks sold to regular people are just dismal. Since I now live in Tennessee and can get REAL fireworks, I enjoy Fourth of July again. So now it is a toss-up. Christmas or Fourth of July. Hmmmm
Joel, I always liked the public events on the Fourth, usually at a local park. D.C. was really cool that way, even if you couldn't blow anything up yourself.
I would probably say Christmas is my favorite, though I'm more of the Christmas Eve type.
My second pick would probably be Turkey Day. (I would say Halloween, except that I really prefer the month of October to Halloween itself. Halloween itself isn't that exciting to me.)
I like Christmas best, (and like you, Christmas Eve is the best part). My most deeply-felt holiday is Easter, the joy of Easter Sunday following the deep solemnity of Good Friday. I personally celebrate Independence Day with the family, but as Joel says, in California it's not the holiday it is in more patriotic parts of the country.
This question is harder than it looks. Hmmmm....
I would have to say New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but not for all of the typical reasons--I don't go out and kiss and hug complete strangers at midnight and wear goofy party hats. I like to spend the night and following day with a few close friends and family members, cooking something fabulous, drinking something delicious, and watching old movies and, if we're lucky, a Twilight Zone marathon. It's a good time to reflect on the upcoming year, but without the stupid New Year's resolutions. And I'm always amazed at how fast the year goes...
Writer X, Twilight Zone marathon. . . good call!
It is a bit of challenging question because holidays mean different things to different people and people celebrate them differently. Some people don't even celebrate Canadian Banking Day -- can you imagine? ;-)
Lawhawk, I think X-mas eve is a German thing. None of of my friends with a purely American background did much of anything on Christmas Eve. For them, it was about Christmas Day.
(They probably don't leave Wienerschnitzel and beer for Santa either. . . jerks.)
Andrew, not celebrate the Canadian banking holiday? Is that when the banks give out free toasters and chocolate-covered commemorative coins? I'll have to remember to celebrate it this year.
WriterX,
Would you celebrate Canadian Banking Day if they gave out free warm snickerdoodle? ;-)
Joel, absolutely!
Andrew: It is German tradition that has the most effect on my love for Christmas Eve.
Christmas but not so much the politically correct garbage that always comes with it. It is Christmas. It is a celebration of the birth of the messiah and the coming of God's son who will teach us and die for our sins.
It is not 'winter festival' nor it is 'winter break' or 'winter holiday' it is fricken Christmas. It isn't a holiday tree it is a Christmas Tree. The rest of the pc crowd can go enjoy their Kwanza and Ramadan and my friends that are Jews can enjoy Hanukkah but December the 25th is Christmas.
My second favorite holiday is Easter and Palm Sunday followed by Halloween and then Thanksgiving, St Patrick's Day, The Fourth of July, My Birthday, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Ground Hog Day, Flag Day, New Years Eve, President's Day and then New Year's Day.
Oh actually my bestest favorite holiday will be January 2013 when Obama leaves the white house.
ACG,
If you include non-traditional holidays, then Nov 3, 2009 is going to be a big day for me.:-)
If I were younger, I'd say Chanukah because of the presents (though contrary to what my friends thought, we didn't get presents on all eight nights)...
However, today I'm not so sure. In my family, we never needed the "excuse" of a holiday to get together. Thanksgiving was always nice since we'd do it twice - Mom's side, then Dad's side. On Dad's side, Thanksgiving dinner would usually be over and done with in fifteen minutes! I recall once finishing my turkey and the coffee was already being served.
I don't like New Year's and all the... reflection it brings along. 4th of July is nice but my family stopped buying fireworks years ago - too much money. Some family friends used to spend around $1k on fireworks!
So to answer your question, I don't know. :-)
Scott, We need an answer for your dosier. ;-)
Writer X, Banks used to hand out toasters, now they hand out banks when you buy a toaster.
ACG & Joel, Is Obama's last day a drinking holiday or a cake holiday?
Andrew,
In deference to WriteX, it is a warm snickerdoodle day.
Joel, I'll tell the Canadians! LOL!
Festivus
The time is coming near to drag out and dust off the old Festivus pole (the holiday for the rest of us).
It's the day for Airing of Grievances", in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year.
Our traditional Festivus meal usually includes some form of baloney. So far, hot dogs are the preferred form, but spaghetti isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Once the meal is consumed, comes the moment of truth where, the Feats of Strength are performed. Traditionally this is a family wrestling match where the holiday ends only after the head of household is pinned to the floor.
It makes December 23 a day to be anticipated and remembered.
The Black people have Kwaanza and Martin Luther King Day,
The Jewish people have Chanukah,
Christians celebrate Christmas,
Italians have Columbus Day,
The Irish remember St. Patrick's Day,
If you don't fit in any particular category, you're forced to celebrate Festivus.
LL, Kind of a catchall holiday. Not a bad idea! Sounds like happy times too.
I got the idea from a Seinfeld episode.
I still celebrate ALL holidays, but thought Festivus deserved attention here since nobody mentioned it.
Several years ago, I asked my boss if I became a Hindu, could I celebrate the fifty-some days that the Hindus celebrate with paid days off work. He didn't tumble for the idea (heathen).
LL, LOL! Sounds like "faux-religious" discrimination to me!
after my birthday, yes it's a recognized holiday in my world (by the by, it's today, which means next year it will be on election day and i EXPECT a huge WIN for us from all of you. just a friendly gift suggestion. put it on your calenders now :...anywho, after that, i love me some christmas. the food, the fun, the anticipation and the sense of community in celebrating the birth of our lord. can't beat it.
oh andrew, my mom, aka, The German, never ever had the tree up and decorated before christmas eve. used to kill us kids. we'd beg our american father to talk some sense into her, but she was german, no messing with that. now that i'm grown the tree goes up early. HA1 take THAT The German!
Patti, Happy Birthday! We'll see what we can do about the gift! ;-)
We used to put the tree up early as well, but we opened the presents on Christmas Eve and we had the whole candy thing in early December.
After Christmas,Thanksgiving, Halloween and the 4th, I'd have to go with International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Yarrrr!
I googled "most obscure holiday" and found some fun ones:
Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (Last Monday In January)
fast-pack.com
Towel Day towelday.org
National Napping Day napping.com
World Naked Gardening Day (May 3) wngd.org
Monkey Day (December 14) monkeyday.com
National Flossing Day (The Day After Thanksgiving)
flossing.org
National Doughnut Day (June 1) seriouseats.com
Star Wars Day (May 4th, as in “May the Fourth be with you!”) blog.dave.org.uk
National Nothing Day (January 16)
Some real ones that used to be observed but now mostly forgotten:
President's Day
Ascension Day
May Day
Here's an interesting one I never heard of, Loyalty Day
http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/loyalty_day_a_forgotten_us_holiday
Thanksgiving to Christmas. When I was a kid Christmas was the big holiday. Now that I’m older, and my kids are pretty much grown, it’s Thanksgiving. I love the food and the blessed “turkey sandwich” …yum! Now if they would give the Detroit Lions the day off, a perfect day indeed.
Stan, I have to agree about Detroit. I guess they chose Detroit so that the rest of us could have something to say . . . wow, things could be so much worse.
Man, my computer crashed last night so I am late to comment. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's when my entire extented family and friends get together. Lots of food and loud chatter and kids running around sneaking desserts. And it's the only day of the year where white bread, Miracle Whip, and iceberg lettuce are allowed.
And of course I have to go with USArtGuy - International Talk Like A Pirate Day! And I might really get into Canadian Banking Day if it comes with a day off and chocolate.
Thanksgiving, because it's all about country, family, friends, and being thankful for one's blessings. For my family it's the one holiday that isn't commercial.
Our home has most often been the gathering place for Thanksgiving for family and friends, and we always made sure those that had nowhere to go were invited and welcomed in our home.
I love the smells wafting throughout the house of good things in the oven. I love the warmth of people softly laughing and sharing their year's experiences, but my favorite time is sitting down for prayer, and then opening the discussion by asking, "Okay everybody, one at a time, clockwise...'Thankful for or because...?'"
Just the other day I found myself looking forward to Thanksgiving with that old excitement stirring in my heart! I've been so ill the last couple of years due to the Lupus that I've missed out on my Thanksgiving joys...this year, so far, all is looking good!
Thanksgiving! I like the fall, I have always felt I have a lot to be thankfil for and . . . I love turkey. We played our traditional high school rival in football at 10:00 a.m., then usually a good college game, capped off by the full turkey meal.
Christmas. Thanksgiving.
Christmas. Thanksgiving.
I am torn. My family is not as "together-ish" as it used to be. But I still like both of these. Close behind is Resurrection Day (AKA Easter). Then "Family Reunion" (which is a several day event each July with folks I do not spend either T'giving or C'mas with.
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