I am not religious, and therefore my approach to holidays celebrated by the masses in the United States is somewhat simplified. I like it that way. Using Easter as an example since it’s tomorrow, I’ll break down my typical holiday celebration.
Somewhere between 11 a.m. and noon: Wake up after a long, restful slumber that wasn’t interrupted by an alarm.
12:30 p.m.: Head on over to my mother’s house. She still makes Easter baskets for me and my sister, and now my husband too. She’ll hide them in the house and we’ll find them. If my sister insists on it, we’ll hunt for eggs. That’s right, we still hunt for eggs like we did when we were 5. She’s 22 and I’m 27. What’s fun is that as we’ve gotten older, the egg hunts have gotten more violent. We steal eggs, kick baskets (and then steal eggs) and smack each other so the other can’t take an egg from its hiding spot. It’s a wonderful time. When all the eggs are found, we all risk a sugar overdose from consuming too many Reese’s Eggs, jellybeans and Marshmallow Peeps.
3 p.m.: Finally shower after screwing around on the Internet and wishing all of my online friends a happy holiday.
4 p.m.: Arrive at Granny’s house with a green bean casserole to add to the entire table of food that’s already there.
5 p.m.: Scarf!
6 p.m.: Sit around with the family as everyone tells the same stories we always tell at gatherings.
8 p.m.: The party winds down. We clean up Granny’s kitchen, pack up the leftovers and distribute them among family members.
9 p.m.: Attempt another sugar overdose by eating more Easter candy.
10 p.m.: Horrible sugar crash. Bloated stomach feels horrible. Lay on the couch, watch crappy TV and surf the Internet until it’s bedtime. Think about which stores I’ll hit tomorrow for clearanced Easter candy.
See, now doesn’t that sound like a great day? Of course!
This is what holidays as a whole are really about for me: food and family. Religion-based or otherwise, this is the bulk of what makes holidays so great. We celebrate the day with all that we are fortunate: those that we love and are loved by (and for some, those that we love to hate), and the security of being safe and fed. And aren’t the most basic things in life what we should value the most?
Of course, I’m not 100% sure how the Easter Bunny, Reese’s Eggs and Marshmallow Peeps got into the picture, but I’m glad they did. With that, I offer you the following:
A personal favorite:
The Washington Post’s annual Peep Show. These are amazing. And don’t forget to take the Peeps quiz.
