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April 15, 2006

Grown-up holidays

Every time a holiday approaches, I slip on my reflective thinking cap. (And, no, I do not mean that I put on a cap that has silver reflective tape on it... Rather, I mentally put on a cap that each of us owns; it brings about a mindset that typically produces a reflection on a topic.)

This holiday, my cap plopped itself on my head when I realized that my siblings and I would not be dyeing eggs this year for Easter. I wondered, then, when other traditions that had been a big deal when my siblings and I were little had vanished. Had I noticed?

Let me take stock of the various childhood holiday experiences that have since passed into memory alone:

  • dyeing eggs for Easter
  • setting out a carrot for the Easter bunny
  • hunting for our Easter baskets in the morning (though I can't be sure of this one until after tomorrow passes... mom and dad might get ambitious)
  • getting all dressed up for Easter Sunday (including suits for boys and dresses with matching hats, purses, and shoes for girls)
  • hunting for Easter eggs with the extended family
  • being thrilled at finding quarters inside of brightly colored little plastic eggs
    ---other holidays---
  • marching in parades (Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day)
  • swimming myself sick on Independence Day
  • breaking my arm on Labor day
  • Trick-or-Treating
  • dressing up for Halloween for school because everyone else was doing it
  • eating inordinate amounts of candy and getting sick, and then doing it again (this applies so almost all the holidays)
  • getting up early to watch TV Thanksgiving parades (now I just sleep in when I can)
  • praying for snow days (which I later learned meant days off of our school's Easter break)
  • writing "Days till Christmas" on a mini chalkboard in our dining room and marking the calendar
  • decorating the tree as a whole family (now we put up each others' ornaments since we're so busy)
  • icing cookies together (now we're lucky if the cookies get iced at all)
  • wrapping presents way before hand and stacking them up so we all find ours and wonder what they are
  • Christmas caroling
  • putting out cookies and milk for Santa
  • putting out a carrot and celery stick for Rudolph (and Prancer--because I felt that he was a neglected reindeer when I was a child)
  • expecting Santa to write a note back (in dad's handwriting)
  • keeping Santa's true identity from the younger siblings (that was hard)
  • falling asleep before midnight on New Year's Eve
  • keeping every last Valentine I ever got in a stack in my night stand
  • using my favorite Valentines as bookmarks (hey, why did I stop doing this?)
  • wearing greens that never have matched and never will match on St. Patrick's day
  • giving up something easy to give up for Lent (this year ice cream was really hard...)

    There are a lot of things that, when I was younger, I would have directly associated with various holidays. Interesting how so many of them have whittled their way out of my life without me noticing. I guess I get sort of jaded about holidays anymore. I focus on what they represent instead of the practices that "represent" them (like bunnies and baby chicks that have nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ). That's probably a good thing, since I would be very sorry for eating too much candy... again.

    Posted by KarissaKilgore at April 15, 2006 2:58 PM

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    Comments

    Having kids means I get to relive all the old rituals (and enjoy new ones that were part of my wife's upbringing but not mine).

    Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at April 15, 2006 4:34 PM

    Bunnies and baby chicks have plenty to do with the resurrection--as it is a time of rebirth and renewal. What a better way for non-christians to identify with that then baby rabbits and baby chickens? A sweet, loving way to remember to start the "year" anew.

    Also remember that the early church used these figures in the beginning to help convert many "pagans" that didn't want to be converted in the first place.

    Posted by: Lou Gagliardi at April 15, 2006 11:14 PM

    Oh, I hope you don't think that I dislike bunnies and baby chicks! Even though, as you point out, Lou, they may have been associated with pagan conversion at one time, I do like the colorful and playful part of the Easter and spring seasons. They are sweet, aren't they? (Reminds me of when I was in 7th grade and we got to use an incubator for some eggs. We hatched 18/20 chicks!)

    Reliving the memories? Hm, I guess that would be a perk of parenting, huh, Dr. Jerz? Are many of the rituals from your wife's childhood very different from your own?

    Posted by: Karissa at April 15, 2006 11:35 PM

    I used to love breaking my arm every Labor Day!

    Posted by: Mike at April 15, 2006 11:50 PM

    LOL, Mike... I did it just one time in 7th grade...
    :-/ Thanks for making fun of me.
    These are memories, not all traditions.

    Posted by: Karissa at April 16, 2006 11:45 AM

    Karissa, the biggest difference is the food. My wife and I both have Polish heritage. For me, its on my father's side, but since it was my mother who did most of the cooking, I didn't grow up with Easter meal traditions. My wife's mother and aunt are very good at making tradtional Polish holiday foods.

    Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at April 16, 2006 4:22 PM

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