Welcome to Open Book Blog Hop. You can find us every Monday talking about the writing life. I hope you'll check out all the posts: you'll find the links at the bottom of this post.
Which is your favorite holiday and why?
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I find this one difficult to answer. There are a LOT of holidays that have brought me joy, but most of them are also a ton of work and sometimes that doesn't balance out. Some of my best family times AREN'T on holidays at all, and I think that's because there's less pressure or expectations on the day and I can relax.
So, some thoughts on several holidays:
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Usually falling in September or October of the Christian calendar, this is basically Jewish New Year, a time for reflection and appreciation, celebration and atonement. I'm not a very religious Jew and I've never really had a religious community in my life, but I've developed my own quiet practice and often get to share a festive meal with family and friends. It's tricky to make space for around a public school schedule, but we try and it's getting easier now that I no longer teach.
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| I'm pretty famous for my challah. |
Halloween: I've got a serious spooky streak and I enjoy the aesthetics of Halloween a great deal. Decorating, making treats, etc. It's different now that my kids are grown and no longer trick or treat, but I'm enjoying the new traditions we're developing of hosting parties and watching spooky films together, too.
Thanksgiving: I used to really resent this one. It didn't feel like a holiday to me, but more like a challenge or hurdle to overcome. A big festive meal of this sort is exhausting. It was especially bad when I was teaching because I really needed the time off just for recuperation. But then my husband and I came up with a system in which we order some of our dishes pre-made and make others ourselves. I'm looking forward to it this year because my 18-year-old is hosting a friends-giving and we'll have a houseful of young people.
Chanukah/Hannukah (pick your favorite spelling): Since we're a two-religion family, some years ago we decided that our Chanukah observation would be simpler and involve fewer gifts since it's often so close or intertwining with Christmas. We plan a family activity together for each of the eight nights, and make sure we get some of the traditional foods and a chance to play dreidel together at least once. Some of my happiest family memories come from one of the nights of Chanukah.
Christmas: I find Christmas overwhelming. It's huge. It's loud. It's flashy. My husband's family is Catholic. Luckily, we live at some distance and don't go up to be a part of the whole shebang every year. The gift-a-palooza is always fun and a couple of quiet days setting up and enjoying our new toys and items can be really nice. And it does have some lovely music. It's usually the longest stretch of days off in a row that I get every year, too, which can be lovely if it's not too full of travel and hoopla.
How about you? Which holidays bring you light and joy? I'd love to hear about it in the comments
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