Tuesday Truths - Holiday Edition

Here are my hot takes on US holidays that no one asked for including my ranking:

1. Christmas/Winter Solstice

2. New Years

3. My Birthday

4. Halloween

5. Thanksgiving

6. Labor Day

7. Memorial Day

8. Independence Day

• Thought I’m not a religious person, I love Christmas and I think many others do too because of the light and sparkle so maybe I really just like Winter Solstice? I think Xmas took all of the things about a Winter Solstice celebration anyway, so they go hand-in-hand.

• Halloween/fall in general is nice because of the spooky factor, cooler weather, decor, and traditions. We love a reason to celebrate the onset of cooler weather and to tell scary stories around a campfire.

• Thanksgiving ranks a little lower only because I think we should do this quarterly and not once a year and only for the food/friends/family, not the whole pilgrim thing. I should start implementing a quarterly Friendsgiving. I’m grateful all year.

• My Birthday is actually more important than all summer buillshit holidays because summer holidays are not real. Celebrate accordingly.

• Summer is either hell (in Texas, etc) or should be celebrated with gusto every day a person has off (places with nice summers).

• I actually think the birthdays of friends and fall equinox are far more important than any bullshit summer holiday.

• I didn’t include Easter because I don’t think it’s a paid holiday at work and I don’t celebrate it other than eating clearance candy (which I can do all year).

• Fourth of July is the worst because of amateur fireworks and arrogant people who think they’re good at amateur fireworks. Between the jump factor and obnoxious smells alone, I’m over it two days before it even happens. Don’t even get me started on fireworks and forest fires… *head desk*

• Memorial and Labor Days are fine, yay for a corporate day off, but why not just have 4-day work weeks all year instead of trying to recreate at the local lake with everyone and their brother one long weekend at a time?

• I’ve worked for companies that have given me MLK Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, and the days after T-giving/Xmas off. I have no real opinion on these days.

• Federal holidays are weird in general because we’re not supposed to be a Christian nation yet our recognized days are mostly Christian in nature. As a godless heathen, I don’t really care why we get days off, as long as I can enjoy them.

Tuesday Truths

Welcome to the weekly series where you learn more about me, even if you didn’t ask for it. This week, enjoy some facts and a photos, like always.

• Free meals are the best meals.

• Soup season is all year. I will not argue this one.

• Real Xmas trees are superior to artificial. I get it, though, not everyone can have a real one. If you can, you should.

• Thanksgiving food is good all year and should be enjoyed more than once in November.

• I have a metal cup addiction. Give me the Yeti, the HydroFlask, the RTIC, the off-brand. I just love a metal cup. The only time I use glass anymore is for wine or maybe a cocktail.

• Michael Bublé’s Christmas album is superior to most others and in my house his version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is better than Mariah’s. Yeah, I said it…

• I miss Walmart being open 24 hours. Thanks Covid.

• Blue Christmas (especially when Elvis sings it) is the worst holiday song ever.

• I think dogs can be as big of a burden as kids. I love my dog, though.

The Holidays (Happy Summer!)

I know today is not the first day of summer, but we’re into it and that’s exciting for a lot of people. This is now the time to roam for some kids and teachers, the months when vacations happen, and the weekends at the lake that just go by too fast.

For me, the holidays were always about scheduling a day to be with the family and friends and it wasn’t always on the official date. My dad worked shifts, my mom worked retail, other family members had similar situations, etc. so we always found a random day that everyone could gather for whatever holiday it was nearest. When I moved away to college, I’d have to work through the holidays, so we’d have Christmas at New Years and that was fine, too. For me, now more than ever, it’s about getting together with people you care about - family or not - and enjoying that moment.

Having a date for Christmas or a birthday is cool, but why not do those things without an occasion? Why do we have to wait for a calendar to tell us to reach out and have a day to celebrate togetherness? My goal in 2021, as it has informally been for years, is to celebrate life more intentionally on the days we can make work.

It’s fair to say I think most calendar holidays are bogus. With such a wide array of religions and lifestyles here in the USA, I’m pretty sure calendar holidays are simply placeholders for days off for certain industries. Yeah, I like Christmas, but I’m not a Christian so I kind of use it to celebrate Winter in general. So, even if the calendar holidays aren’t your jam, make them your own if you don’t want to completely ignore them. I think the first day of Fall is a good reason to have a feast instead of the idea of Thanksgiving the way it is portrayed. I think we need to practice gratitude all year, and vocalize it more, rather than waiting until that one weekend in November. Instead of being total asshats with fireworks and idiocy, why not focus more on ways to help improve your country and help others while still gathering and having fun too.

It’s nearly Independence Day here in the US and I’m using my free day off to head to the Great Lakes area to visit my friends (who are family) and my family. I’m going off the grid on the 4th to a cabin with people who mean the world to me, and probably not seeing any major fireworks. I’m spending the following week catching up with friends and family at the lake - hopefully enjoying every damn minute we have together because I just live too far away right now. I don’t know where I’ll be on Labor Day, Fall/Winter Equinox, Thanksgiving weekend, my birthday, or Christmas, but I’m sure as hell going to try to spend those days thankful to be alive with people I enjoy being around. Celebrate life every day, any way you can. You don’t need a holiday to have an excuse to get together and enjoy life. If you need someone to celebrate life with, hit me up. We’ll have a celebration just because.