Paltry Holidays

Perhaps “paltry” is not the best word but I could find one that conveyed the feeling without seeming even more demeaning. For the sake of hurting someone’s feelings or traditions, I apologize for the choice of word. However, what I am referring to is the many holidays that we designate or even celebrate that could in the least be considered minor.

This topic came to be because of my time spent on Pinterest. The amount of effort that I see people putting into so many holidays is mind boggling to me. This was also a topic I first encountered when I began homeschooling. As the teacher, I paid more attention to these holidays so that our activities could sometimes revolve around them and make the lessons more interesting or break up the everyday work we usually did. For that reason, these trivial holidays were welcome. Still, I often questioned the hype.

In my own family, we do have traditions to celebrate a few holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Halloween, and New Year’s Day. There are a handful of others that make the cut to at least be acknowledged like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s, and St. Patrick’s Day. For the major holidays, there’s much more anticipation and preparation. The others are simply a special day for which we may exchange cards or wishes and wear a specific color. The holidays that we acknowledge in my family do not begin to touch on the many that exist and that a significant number of people celebrate. I’d rather not say how I feel about having so many holidays outlined on a calendar but I’m sure it can be inferred.

What is a holiday that is significant in your life and why?