We just celebrated Fall Back Sunday – one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I know not everyone agrees. But what could be better than extra hour to do whatever we want! It’s found time, like found money in my winter coat pocket, I can spend it however I want – working a quilt for a friend, watching a movie, vacuuming the stairs. Fall-back Sunday deserves to be an official a holiday.
Which makes me think about days that should be holidays but aren’t:
The first really nice day in the spring – this may be just for folks living in punishing climates like Chicago.
The first snow that sticks – when we still think snow is magical, and the world is quiet. Before the pollution has turned snow banks gray and my dog is constipated because she refuses to go outside in the bitter cold.
On that note, Ground Hog Day should be a holiday, but only when the ground hog doesn’t see its shadow and we know that spring is coming.
How about a “I just can’t put it down day” which should come on a Monday so that we can keep reading on Monday that wonderful book that we had our nose in all weekend.
We should each get at least two “I just can’t get my act together days” a year to use every shirt needs to be ironed, or every pair of tights has a run in the knee or the car is almost out of gas, we have no cash, and we’ve lost our credit card. Those should be days we can just go back to bed and not have to lie about being sick.
For these days to be true holidays and not additional stress days, they must be declared card, gift, special meal, and religious ritual free. The minute Hallmark, Betty Crocker or the church get their mitts on them they are ruined. They should be days free from work and to-do lists, simply days just to enjoy.
As a teacher, I would have invented Spring Day/May Day holiday. It was always such a long stretch from Spring Break until the end of the school year. Everyone was antsy, and there were no days off.
I like your “first nice spring day.” Everyone should be mandated to eat outside on a veranda. 😉
Love the spring day/may day idea! I’ve been thinking about it some more and maybe a week holiday in the summer that’s a mandatory stop for everyone. Kind of a summer break for adults where you get to restart your todo list. Anything that wasn’t done just doesn’t count against you anymore. I loved that sense of being finished with summer break!
Melissa
Massachusetts celebrates Patriot Day on the third (I think) Monday in April, in honor of Paul Revere’s ride (I realize he did not deserve being credited with the whole ride). They run the Boston Marathon that day. When we lived there we truly enjoyed it. Perfect time of year for a day off, and we always went to a friend’s home that was near the hardest part of the Marathon (hilly section near the end) and handed out water. Some marathoners looked like they had just been around the block once, and others were struggling. For several years after we moved to Chicago, my heart had a tug on that day, missing it so much.
Alice,
it sounds like a great day and wonderful time of year for a special holiday.
Melissa