well it started off as a comment

[wendyzski]

but it makes an interesting post as well....

So Holidays (happy) and greetings (seasonal and otherwise...)

I'm pretty vague about my holidays anyway. I roasted a turkey last week - Giving Thanks that Dominicks Had Turkey On Sale - and then I have a couple of days off later this week which may or may not be related to the previous event. Personally, I plan to sleep in a lot, do some reading, install my closet organizer, finish unpacking, maybe do some online shopping if the sales are good enought, and hopefully find a theatre that is relatively free of screaming teenagers in order to go see Twilight.

Pretty much all the "traditional" christmas stuff was ripped off from the local pagans when they wanted to get them to come to their Jesus-parties instead. And most of THOSE are from the fact that nearly every culture in places where it gets cold in winter has some kind of "it's f*cking cold and dark out - let's have a party before I strangle someone" And since I live someplace where it gets cold so I LIKE having stuff around at this time of the year that symbolizes rebirth and the idea that it will eventually be not-so-f*cking-cold anymore. And I like sparkly things and prezzies.

So I give and get prezzies around this time of the year because its as good a time as any. My brother married a Jewish woman and I don't actually KNOW what "holidays" they celebrate. (I believe my mom last year said that they celebrated X-mas by having people over for dinner - to which I replied "Mom-that's how they celebrate Thursdays..."

Same thing with cards really - I send them "season's greetings" because it's a festive season - you can take it to mean whatever holiday you want from St. Lucia day to New Years as you please. (well, that and the fact that I send out 50-some-odd cards and can't remember who celebrates what anymore). I also have a tendency to write things like "Merry Whatever!" or "Happy Everything!" in them. And yes I'm a dork - I have them mostly done already. This is because I'm involved in a couple of group card exchanges, and if I want stuff to get to Germany, Wales and Hong Kong I'd better get hopping!

See also why I'm having a Hogswatch party this year. Since no one that I know leaves out pork pies for the Hogfather (and a turnip for his pigs) on the 32nd of Ick, I figure we're all equally left out here.

And when my office-mates all talk about having days off for X-mas I gently remind them "you know, not everyone celebrates X-mas you know". I'd MUCH rather have the day after the solstice off so I could stay up all night and do a vigil, but since I don't often get that chance I try not to get bent out of shape about it.

So in late December, I get a couple of random days off, I give people prezzies, get nice things, send cards, and take a special time to reflect on the passing of the year. I just do most of it on different days than most people. I have made a conscious choice to find things that are meaningful to me and to celebrate them.

Because it's going to be f*cking cold out!

Comments

slightly off.. and days off..

[socratesthecat.livejournal.com]

If your really looking to maximize your holidays off from work.. become a Catholic married to a Jew. With said combination you should have to only work like 3 days out of each month...

Also do you know if the 32nd is on a Friday this year? ;-)

[forfaxia.livejournal.com]

I wish I got solstice days off too... But I work at Joann fabrics so I doubt the demographic working there would like it much.

[axegrrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can imagine: "You want what day off? But why??" O.o

I work for a big company that observes national holidays and gives you two "floating holidays", to be used on whatever days you choose. We have people use them for Yom Kippur, Eid al Fitr, Diwali, Chinese New Year, and other assorted days.

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

I took the 22nd off once when I had that kind of job, which was pretty nice. I stayed up all night and then went out to the lakefront to watch the sun rise again. (and then spent the rest of the week trying to even out my sleep schedule..)

[sisucore.livejournal.com]

I don't know about leaving out the pork pies....but if you're Finnish you would leave out some rice pudding for the elves around Christmas time, just to say thanks for keeping the farm fields and stables and tidy and for not burning down the house. Now those Icelandic elves, they are evil.

[socratesthecat.livejournal.com]

I remember doing that at my grandparents when we were really young...

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

Well, this post was prompted by someone posting that she felt "left out" at this time of year because she was Jewish, and that people making Hannukah into "Jewish Christmas" annoyed her because it's really not that kind of holiday.

So I started writing about how I feel about thus time of year and how it's a good time of year to celebrate, and if you feel "left out" or "annoyed" because your tradition doesn't have something specifically designated as a "holiday", then pick something you like about this time of year and celebrate THAT!

Some of my personal holidays include:

• HalfPrice Chocolate days: 2/15 and 11/1 (Followed closely by the semi-annual PimpleFest)


• Roast Beef and Spa Night: 12/24 (There is nothing on TV and I don't have to be anyplace, so I make myself a special dinner on proper plates with wine and an actual dessert, then a nice hot bath with something pretty-smelling floating in it and stay up late reading something)


• ThankForMovies: Sometime over the Turkeymas holidays I spend a day watching DVDs - either a bunch I've not gotten around to, or all of the LOTR movies, or an entire tv season or something like that - again because I can. Occasionally this is supplanted (or added to by "Play-that-new-computer-game-until-my-laptop-overheats")


• Turkey-New-Year: since large dead birds go on sale "after the holidays", I usually get a big one and roast it on or around New Years. Then I can stuff my freezer with tasty birdflesh and also make approximately 314 gallons of homemade turkey soup - of which I still have 1 qt left from last year.

[ashtalet.livejournal.com]

If I were observant, I'd have to use pretty much all my vacation days for holidays. That said, though, I'm basically inclined to a view where the company shuts down for those holidays where if it didn't, so many people would be out that they might as well shut down. Which those are depend on the makeup of your labor force.