Top 5 Holidays That Aren’t Christmas
Last week I shared a running podcast, and said that I usually listen to podcasts for information, as opposed to entertainment. There are a couple exceptions to this, and one of them is Christmas Countdown, which I just discovered last December. The two hosts have a countdown every week, such as “Top 5 Christmas Albums” or “Top 5 Smells of Christmas.” This week, they had their first off-season episode, “Top 5 Holidays That Aren’t Christmas.” That was fun, and made me think about what my own five would be. I usually say I like all holidays, but when I started really thinking about it, I realized there are a lot of holidays I’m lukewarm about, and some that I outright dislike. I have my top five, but first, I’m going to talk about the holidays I don’t like. New Year’s Day This was on the podcast’s Top 5 list, and I can’t say it’s on mine. New Year’s is a hard time for me, because I get really sad when Christmas is over. I try to rally for New Year’s Eve, but in the back of my mind I’m also thinking about all the work I’m going to have to do to “de-Christmas” the house. Once I get a week or two into January, I start to feel better. Valentine’s Day Ugh. Valentine’s Day always depresses me, and for a long time I couldn’t figure out why. Finally, I had an epiphany. Growing up, I was always depressed in the winter. No one talked about SAD back then, so all I knew was that I had an issue with depression that went in cycles. I was always depressed on Valentine’s Day, simply because it was in the middle of winter. Even though I now live in Florida and February is one of our best weather months, it’s permanently ingrained in my psyche that Valentine’s Day is a time to be depressed. I can’t seem to shake it. Easter Easter is always kind of a bummer for me, because I miss my parents. When my son was little, my parents would spend the winters in Florida, and they eventually moved here full-time. We would always go to their house on Easter afternoon and they would have a little Easter egg hunt for my son, and we would have dinner with them. I know there are other holidays that are more family-oriented- we’ll get to that in a minute- but on Easter afternoon I always have a sad feeling like something more should be happening (don’t worry! This is just a small, temporary sadness. It goes away quickly once the day is over.) Well, that was a downer. Now that I’ve talked about all the sad holidays, let’s get into my Top 5 Favorites (other than Christmas.) Instead of going least to most favorite, I’m going to start with my number one, because it’s so obvious… 1. THANKSGIVING! I love Thanksgiving so much, it almost rivals Christmas. I love the food but also the anticipation that comes with the day. I’m usually cooking in the kitchen while the Macy’s parade is on, but I insist on coming out to see Santa at the end, because it’s the OFFICIAL start to the Christmas season! This holiday has changed a lot for us over the years, but now it’s even more special, because my son comes home from college the week of Thanksgiving. Now, you might be thinking, wait a minute! Thanksgiving is a family holiday! Why aren’t you sad THEN? Yes, the first Thanksgiving without my parents was hard, but the four of us have really turned it into a fun day. We all cook, and have a huge, fun feast. We don’t get together with my sister and BIL for Thanksgiving, because none of us want the stress of traveling at that time of year. But my sister and I text throughout the day, giving updates on our pies and sending pictures. It’s a super fun day. 2. Halloween I’m not one of those people who gets all dressed up for Halloween or throws a big party- but I love the holiday. I love Halloween decorations, and I decorate the inside and outside of my house. I love answering the door for trick-or-treaters. When my kids were little, I loved walking around the neighborhood with them while they trick-or-treated (sadly, those days are over forever… until I have grandchildren?) 3. Fourth of July This is a recent one for me. When my kids were little, I did NOT care for this holiday. I felt obligated to take them to see fireworks, and it was always disgustingly hot and crowded. So stressful. NOW, I really appreciate this day. For one thing, I have the day off, which I can’t say for every holiday. My husband and I usually run a race in the morning, and then we come home and make some fun food for the day (July 4th-themed charcuterie board for lunch, and vegan burgers for dinner.) Also, we realized that we don’t need to leave our house to see fireworks! We don’t even have to step outside- we can look out the living room window and see the incredible displays all the neighbors are putting on. I know… fireworks are really hard for pets. Our black cat, Charlotte, hates them and hides under the bed. I feel bad about that, but I can’t help it- fireworks are fun. 4… Here where I had to start digging deep. I thought about all the minor holidays. St Patrick’s Day? I’m pretty sure I had some fun ones in my youth (although it’s all a blur, ha ha) but this year I forgot all about it. Mother’s Day? Meh- bittersweet. I finally came up with, and I hope this counts… My Birthday I don’t always have my birthday off from work, but I try to celebrate on a day close to my birthday. This year I had a long trail run and a nice