Something to Celebrate...

A few days ago this collection of cultural ideals and celebrations we Americans are missing out on came across my Facebook feed...I was intrigued by the ideas highlighted in the article, but I was captivated by the author’s foregone conclusion that holidays are a matter of personal preference. It was a bit of a face-palm moment, to tell you the truth. I mean, of course no one is forcing me to exchange candy hearts on the day some 5th century priest was martyred, but American celebrations are at once deeply ingrained in the culture (to the point that we’re calling on Constitutional freedoms and waging culture wars over how to celebrate them) and laughably meaningless (you mean Labor Day isn’t a commemoration of the barbeque?)

I’ve decided I want the holidays in my life to mean something. The root of the word is, after all, holy day. I want my celebrations to be more mindful, more deliberate, a better reflection of who I am (and, significantly I think, who I want to be) and what matters to me.

So, I’ve unsubscribed from Google’s “US Holidays” calendar and made my own for 2015. Happy Holidays, all.