Ranking holidays

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  Late November is well passed summer and deep into fall so there really isn’t much going on.  The requirements of the holiday are small.  A little travel, greet and talk with relatives that you haven’t seen for several months, and eat.  Then talk some more, maybe watch a football game, and say heartfelt good-byes in order to go home and prepare for a three day weekend.  

The middle of the group would be Christmas, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.  I like Christmas for the family get together redux.  However, I find buying gifts to be stressful and taxing.  I have really only found one person that I enjoy buying for and that is me.  With others, I don’t know if I have ever felt like I truly met a need or if they say thank you to just be polite.  The religious meaning of Christmas is not lost on me.  I attend church services and extra events during this time, most of which I actively participate in and enjoy.  I like Memorial Day because it gives a three day weekend and it marks the beginning of summer.  In the same vein I like Labor Day because it gives a three day weekend and bookends the summer.  I do not attend special events for either of these holidays so they end up being days off more than anything.  Come to think of it, I have gone downtown several times to listen to the band and the giving of roll call for Memorial Day.  So I have attended a special event for that holiday a few times.  Independence Day is during the summer and having additional time during the summer to enjoy the weather is a good thing.  Watching fireworks has become old to me so I don’t always attend special events for this holiday.

By far, my least favorite holiday is New Years.  Having a day off right after having a day off for Christmas seems too much too soon.  I would rather be doing something purposeful but I usually end up not having much to do on the day.  I would easily trade this holiday for one in April (Good Friday) as I would like to have time off during the nicer weather.  I do not enjoy staying out late or mixing it up with large groups of people so I have learned to stay home and keep things quiet.