Needed Holidays

My creative process is severely stumped tonight, so I'm going for a list of needed holidays.

Kick a Kid Day
Natural Selection Day
Cheesecake is Healthy Day
Muffin Top is Sexy Day
Scream at Annoying People Day
Be a Gangsta' Day
Dogs are Family Day
Shoot a Sheep Day (Sorry, alliteration)

This is crap...

Holidays or ramble?

I don't know much about the holidays here, day after Superbowl, shoot can't even see the point in watching men run around, groundhog day, we don't have groundhogs in England, I did notice the reference to hedgehogs, we have those in England, I wonder if the holiday is similar in theory? Never heard of it before.

Valentines is an excuse for those who can't remember to appreciate their loved ones more frequently. It was never a general holiday in our family, strictly for adults. I have followed that tradition and never bought a card for any except my hubby. Of course I can barely remember to buy a birthday card, so he is lucky when I remember that it is February. This year his gift of love is a visit to the dentist LOL

We have chatted and laughed and decided that we need to create a few more holidays, well some are not likely at all.

this is so not a productive night for writing.

Lindsi has a great list going. I am eager to see the calendar and all of the matching illustrations.

I am sure that when I get home I will not want to exercise and shower and then. . . I need to study and at sometime I will go to bed.

OK, I give up. Our chat is so much more fun than anything I can think of to write at this time. Maybe I will be inspired later to do some more thinking and writing.

Viva la Black History Month!

I find it highly ironic that Donna would pick "Holidays" as tonight's topic.  Consider the following exchange from this morning:

Me: "Does anyone know what this month is?"

Student in my 2nd period class: "Black History month"

Another student in my 2nd period class: "Is there a White History Month?"

How do you recover from that?  

Me, ever the Devil's Advocate, asked, "Why would we need to have a 'White History Month?'"  

My 8th graders could not come up with an answer.  So, I asked, "Okay, why do we celebrate Black History Month?"

Crickets.  Not surprisingly, my African-American students were able to come up with a response.  One student even used the excuse that they were from the North, which was why he/she did not have knowledge of segregation and our country's history.   

During class change, I told a co-worker about the exchange, and she stated that she agreed with the one student who questioned whether we had a "White History Month."

"So, you don't think that we should celebrate Black History Month?"

"I just think that if we celebrate one, we should celebrate them all.  Asian, Hispanic, White . . . "

So, why do we celebrate Black History Month?   Is it not to recognize the achievements of African-American who were able to achieve despite great adversity?  People like Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston . . . If we did not celebrate them, would students know about them?  Isn't that kind of the point?  Because we do not always include them in our studies?  

So, does this mean that I am not going to emphasize February as Black History Month.  Most definitely not.  Do I forget that my students are only 8th graders?  Sometimes.  Does that give them the excuse not to know about what the United States was like less fifty years ago?  And does that mean that I shouldn't educate them?  If ever there were a time for them to become socially active, it is now.  I'm not trying to make them like me, but I am trying to make sure that they leave me more educated about the world so that they can make a difference in the world. 

Or at least I hope. 

Holiday Overload (and other rantings)

Holidays.

Some are legit. Others, though, seem to me just an excuse to commercialize. Good gravy. Take a look at how the industry has capitalized on the whole holiday concept. Stores had Valentine’s merchandise out right beside the clearance racks for Christmas items. I actually bought a Reese’s peanut butter egg…for EASTER…a few WEEKS ago. At the rate we’re going, Christmas will be a year-round holiday before long.

I do love some holidays. Christmas is a fun one. It’s not just the presents, either. Or the obligatory family time. There’s something special about that time of year. Just like the song: it’s the most wonderful time of the year. (Is it in your head now?) All commercialness aside, the Christmas season is one that reminds me to be less selfish. I think of others, I want to get people that perfect gift and then watch the delight on their face when they open it. And the food. Oh the food!

But there’s more to Christmas than that. I still get chills when I think about how special Christmas Eve service is for me. It’s magical. My favorite, still, is when we dim all the lights, and the entire congregation holds a candle and sings Silent Night. Some years I can’t even make it through the song without choking up and I end up sputtering out every few words between the tears. Magical. We didn’t make it to Christmas Eve service this year, and I felt empty.

New Year’s is a let-down for me. I mean, seriously, all that excitement, all the party, all that hoopla for another day? Whatever. Call me cynical, but all New Year’s means to me is a bunch of empty promises. I’m going to exercise. I’m going to be a better person. I’m going to . Yeah, ok.

And Valentine’s? Donna, we’re peas in a pod because I think it’s a waste. I mean, seriously. You’re supposed to show your love for me on THAT DAY?! I’m sorry. You should love me EVERY day, not just one day out of the year. Flowers cost more, restaurants are more crowded, and people buy all the good chocolate out of the stores! I will say, though, that JEWELRY is appreciated, in spite of my ranting. It is a nice day, though, for us. We plan a nice meal and cook it together because that’s something WE enjoy doing.

The other holiday that I love the most is Easter. Aside from the fact that there’s something especially delightful about the Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and their glorious deliciousness, which, on a side note, cost me ten whole pounds during its season, that day, that one day in the entire year embodies why I am a Christian. I have friends who will say that Easter is just another day at church. It’s a celebration. Forget the egg hunts and the seersucker suits and the bonnets (and the idiot who invented WHITE shoes). That one day is the capstone of my beliefs and demonstrates unconditional love in a way almost beyond my abilities to understand.

With all that said, there are some really stupid holidays out there. Did you know February is National Get to Know an Independent Real Estate Broker Month? What is that?! National Time Management Month is also a very important holiday to celebrate in February. Ooh, don’t forget about National Return Your Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month. So, where are the cards for these? C’mon, Hallmark, you’re letting us down here!

The hedgehog has apparently gotten the shaft, too, because today is Hedgehog Day. Did you know that? So, what exactly does a hedgehog do on this day? Yeah, got me. What about Groundhog Job Shadow Day? So, are we to believe that there are hopeful little groundhoglings excitedly shadowing Punxsutawney Phil or General Beauregard Lee as they perform their all-important duties? Yeah, last I checked, I never saw a groundhog waiting in the wings.

I wonder if there’s a holiday for “I dated the biggest jerkoff”? I would buy a card for that! What about “Chocolate is a food group” Day or “I love pink” Day or even “The sky is blue” Day? I mean, seriously.

I do secretly wish, sometimes, down in the deepest part of my mind, that I worked for the USPS or the banks. Then, I could have a reason to take off on Flag Day or Sunshine Day or Constitution Day.

One more thing, and I just want to make sure I’m not missing the boat on this:

Did I block Georgia Day out of my mind as a kid? Around here, there’s a huge celebration and parades and a big deal made in town and in all the schools. Is this normal? It’s cool, but I don’t remember it being a huge school holiday. Just curious to hear from others on this…

Holiday . . . Get Away

People spend too much time together. Perhaps we need a holiday focused on solitude or on reading. Yeah, national reading day . . . do we already have one?


Being naturally curious about holidays, I Googled them. And below is a list I found from this website (http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/feb.htm):


February 1 is . . . . . Serpent Day
February 2 is . . . . . Purification Day
February 3 is . . . . . Cordova Ice Worm Day
February 4 is . . . . . Create A Vacuum Day
February 5 is . . . . . Disaster Day
February 6 is . . . . . Lame Duck Day
February 7 is . . . . . Charles Dickens Day
February 8 is . . . . . Kite Flying Day
February 9 is . . . . . Toothache Day
February 10 is . . . . Umbrella Day
February 11 is . . . . White Tee-Shirt Day and Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
February 12 is . . . . National Plum Pudding Day
February 13 is . . . . Get A Different Name Day and Dream Your Sweet Day
February 14 is . . . . Ferris Wheel Day and National Heart to Heart Day
February 15 is . . . . National Gum Drop Day
February 16 is . . . . Do A Grouch A Favor Day
February 17 is . . . . Champion Crab Races Day
February 18 is . . . . National Battery Day
February 19 is . . . . National Chocolate Mint Day
February 20 is . . . . Hoodie Hoo DayMore Info on Hoodie Hoo Day
February 21 is . . . . Card Reading Day
February 22 is . . . . Be Humble Day
February 23 is . . . . International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
February 24 is . . . . National Tortilla Chip Day
February 25 is . . . . Pistol Patent Day (Samuel Colt)
February 26 is . . . . National Pistachio Day
February 27 is . . . . International Polar Bear Day
February 28 is . . . . Public Sleeping Day
February 29 is . . . . National Surf and Turf Day


Given the huge list of crazy days that already exist, I'm not sure I can add more to that list. But let's think about some of these days. First, everyday should be National Chocolate Mint Day. Do you really want to restrict that to just one day? When I visited Athens to review grants, the Georgia Center has a turn-down service and leaves to Andes mints on the beds. Of course, I don't actually need anyone to turn down the sheets for me every night, but I could definitely get used to someone leaving two Andes mints on my pillow, particularly if I didn't have to share with Wes. It would be bad, though, not to notice the mint--ew, what a mess . . .


No day should be Public Sleeping Day. Um, I find that disturbing. Just as no day should be Public Makeout Day. VSU students, are you listening? The West Hall Rotunda is not really designed for either of those two activities that happen on a regular basis. We need the GHP Flashlight Patrol checking the Rotunda during the day, shining lights on offenders.


Since the last Saturday in January is always Rattlesnake Roundup in Whigham, Georgia, Serpent Day makes sense. It just extends the weekend a little.


The juxtaposition of White T-Shirt Day and Don't Cry over Spilled Milk Day confuses me. Are the creators secretly hoping for a wet t-shirt contest? It turns the list of days into a motorcycle rally. I'm not impressed. At least there isn't one of the contests that involves hot dogs on a piece of twine.


Um, Toothache Day? Are we mourning past pain? Being sadists (or masochists?) and enjoying pain? Um, yeah, I think I'll abstain from Toothache Day. But it does remind me of Steve Martin's role as the sadistic dentist in the movie version of Little Shop of Horrors. That's a good memory.

Okay, here's my holiday: Slug-A-Stranger. Everybody gets one random act of violence a year to slug that stranger who is incredibly annoying. This one at Wal-Mart invaded my personal space, standing right next to me as I was ringing stuff up. I had to reach past her to get my next item off the belt. Then when I finished, she bumped into me into me in her rush to start, even though I was still picking up stuff. No apology. Nothing. Just a grandmother I wanted to slug.

We argued a bit at Hildegard's about whether I could use Wes's annual free slug if he wasn't going to use it. I think so. Marriage has benefits. For Valentine's Day, I want his annual slug rather than flowers or candy or standing in line for an hour to eat food from a limited menu. Yuck. Let me hit someone. That's my holiday.

Holidays

Obviously, Valentine's Day is almost here, which prompted the idea to write about a holiday. I don't celebrate Valentine's Day (isn't my husband lucky?), so I may rant about why I think the holiday is dumb.

You may want to write about your favorite holiday 0r your favorite holiday memory. Or maybe you want to focus on a particularly memorable Valentine's Day--good or bad.

Maybe you want to speak up for an unappreciated holiday, one that is often overlooked, arguing for it to become a state or national holiday.

Or maybe you want to create your own holiday. Decide what needs to be celebrated, when, how, and why.

Write away--either on the blog or on paper. But if you write on paper, consider posting a few lines to the blog. If you're not with us at Hildegard's, your words are the only way we see you. Also, we would love for you to comment on the posts that follow. We should begin posting between 7:00 and 7:30 tonight, and we'll comment on posts after that, leaving Hildegard's by 8:00. We appreciate them so much for staying open for us.