Thanksgiving is next week, and I am excited. It's a few days off from work, it's time with the family, it's lots of food — what's not to love? It's three days off at least for most people, and two of those aren't the holiday itself. But is it the best holiday? Let's find out.
I'm only including bank holidays here, so I'm not ranking National Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19) or National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day (March 24) or *SIGH* Make Up Your Own Holiday Day (March 26). Yes, that last one is a real thing. I'm ranking these based on how much you look forward to it, how relaxing it is and the festivities that go with them. I'm also ranking them worst to first, because this is my ranking and because I want to build suspense. Now you know my logic.
10. Columbus Day -- The worst. Most people don't even get this day off, most people don't even know it's happening, and I can honestly say I don't know a single celebration that takes place for this day. To top it off, we're celebrating someone who a) didn't discover America b) helped introduce colonialism c) was not a great guy to those who already live in the Americas and d) was maybe not the greatest guy. So... why do we celebrate this? I don't know.
9. Washington's Birthday/President's Day -- Much of what I said about Columbus Day goes for this, too. Most of us don't actually get the day off, most don't know it's happening, and I don't know how to celebrate it. It's not actually on George Washington's birthday, which was Feb. 22: This year, the holiday fell on Feb. 15. In 2015, it fell on Feb. 16, and next year, it'll be on Feb. 20. It almost never actually falls on Washington's Birthday. But this is slightly better because it's at least celebrating a good man/great president. Washington is FAR more respectable than Columbus, even factoring in the whole "owned slaves" thing and the "nearly lost the Revolutionary War" thing.
8. MLK Day -- Like the two previously mentioned holidays, most don't get this day off. That said, there are at least celebrations for MLK Day. In Pittsburg, there was a good event/celebration in Fort Scott. Here in Liberty, William Jewell hosts the Northland's MLK Day celebration. It's a reason to bring people together for racial harmony — and that's a good cause that we don't celebrate enough. MLK stands up to the lens of history well.
7. Veterans Day -- At least it's the same day every year -- this gives it an edge. Further, there are celebrations to be found, like MLK Day. There were a ton of celebrations in Crawford County. I'm sure there are more here, but I don't know them yet. However, most people don't get off for Veterans Day, so in order to celebrate our veterans, you have to take a day off. That's not great, even if the cause is wonderful.
6. Memorial Day -- Take everything I said about Veterans Day. Add in having the day off in the late spring/early summer. Add in barbecue/outdoors activities. Slightly different purpose than Veterans Day (veterans who died v. veterans in general). Upgrade.
5. Labor Day -- I totally understand if you place this below Memorial Day. But this is my list. And Labor Day is almost always when we celebrate my birthday. Further, most get the day off, and it's just a relaxing day that is much needed, since the previous holiday was more than two months before. Memorial Day has the unofficial holiday of Easter within spitting distance.
4. New Year's Day -- There's not really any celebrations related to New Year's Day that I can think of, just college football and the Rose Bowl Parade. But those are fun! Plus, there's hanging out with your family without having to go anywhere or do anything. It's just relaxing and chill and wonderful. You get a brand new start on a new year when none of your favorite actors/musicians/political leaders/heroes have died and nothing has ruined your year... it's a hopeful day. Also, if it lands on a weekend, you get Jan. 2 off as a bonus. Sweet! Bonus lazy day!
3. Independence Day/Fourth of July -- You get the day off. That's nice. It's a summer day, so you get all the outdoors/barbecue stuff of Memorial/Labor Day. There are celebrations all over the place, it's just a matter of deciding which to attend. That said, you can also just stay at home and watch from your backyard. Which brings up the final aspect: fireworks. But that's good and bad. It's good, because BOOM EXPLOSIONS FIRE WHEE! But it's bad because it scares Roland right now, the explosions last for a little bit too long both the night of the celebration and the week of the 4th. With the exception of the 3rd and 4th, it's kind of annoying to have fireworks all the dang time.
2. Christmas Day -- Most people get several days around Christmas off. There's a ton of Christmas cookies and decorations. There's all the festivities that go with Christmas, whether religious ("Happy birthday Jesus," Roland said recently) or otherwise (trees! MST3K "Santa Claus"! MST3K "Santa Claus v. the Martians"! Egg nog?). You get gifts and also give gifts to your family. You get to see some of your family for the only time during the year. So much excitement. But it's in the middle of winter, so it's not like you can get outside without layers. Also, all that stuff I just mentioned is a little overkill. You're constantly trying to clean up or get ready for this thing or that thing or prepare for this celebration or make sure your shoes are shiny for church or... It's exhilarating, but also exhausting.
1. Thanksgiving Day -- While the bank holiday is only the Thursday, most people get Friday off and many get Wednesday off, too. You get to travel, but there's really only one tradition: Make and eat a fancy dinner. It's far more relaxing than Christmas, the weather can sometimes be accommodating for jacketed play outdoors, and there are a few Thanksgiving traditions that can be on TV in the background (Macy's Parade, 2-3 football games) as you mingle with family. It's relaxing, it's the rare occasion to use your nice china, and you get to see family without the pressure of rushing from event to event, unless you're into Black Friday. Enjoy the best holiday next week.
Two Quasi-Political (But Not Political) Tangents Limited to One Paragraph Each
• I've seen a lot of those upset on the left/Democrat side complaining about the electoral college lately, and I've seen Republicans defend the electoral college. I think it's important to note that of the four times the electoral college was won by someone who didn't win the popular vote, it's been Republicans over Democrats all four times. I wonder what would happen if that ever started evening out. However, in looking at the electoral college, a political science professor that I'm friends with analyzed what would happen if each state divided its electors proportionally instead of winner-take-all. His result was a 269-269 tie. I took a slightly different tactic and imagined that each state had two "Senate" electors that voted based on who won the state. The remainder, the "House" electors, voted proportionally (*D.C. only gets "House" electors). My result was Trump won, but only by about 12-13 electoral votes. Gary Johnson actually won 2. I think both of these are a lot more reflective of the nation's desires and split allegiances than the real-world electoral college.
• I heard an interesting metaphor that has really got me thinking. John Oliver, in his half-hour election wrap, referred to media consumption as a diet. That's an incredible comparison. Americans tend to get too much junk in our diet, from sources that aren't necessarily good for us. We want to consume what we want, but the more mature we get, we realize that we need variety in our diets, and to eat less exciting things because they're better in the long run. Consider your own media diet. Are you getting your media from bad sources, like Facebook, Breitbart, Fox News, Daily Kos, MSNBC's opinion hosts, etc.? Or are you seeking out good sources, like ABC News, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Politifact, or the Wall Street Journal? Are you consuming different sources, including something you don't normally enjoy, because it's better for you? It's certainly got me to re-evaluate my sources, and consider investing in a subscription to my local newspaper(s).
Summary Judgments
I've been trying to avoid getting into political arguments on Facebook this week/month, but I need a temporary break from the divisiveness of politics. I could feel myself becoming the type of pundit/analyst that I hate. It's hard to tell yourself to stop caring about something. It's like a break-up: The only way to get over it is to find someone/something new. • • • Don't let me down, Chiefs. • • • I've started watching Dr. Who. Alyson's seen them all. I've seen one or two there. I'm now two episodes into it, and I'm liking it so far. So far, I'm not down on Christopher Eccleston, though I know everyone else, including him, is down on his time as the Dr. Is it as bad as I've heard? • • • This is how fracking causes earthquakes. • • • This is the type of analysis we need more of. Foxtrot Alpha takes an in-depth look at our President-Elect's Defense Plan. It's knowledgeable and able to state opinions without being smug. • • • Speaking of smug, I've been really mulling this article about the "smug style of American liberalism." I saw a friend link it recently, and I'm captivated by many of the arguments it puts forward. I think they're on to something — liberals come off as smug, which is a turn-off to many Americans — but I also think they might go too far with the self-flagellation about it. • • • I was going to practice running some so that I could get in shape for a Thanksgiving morning 5K. However, two things got in my way: 1) Daylight Savings Time didn't hit until 3 weeks before the race, so I couldn't run at 6:30 a.m., since it wasn't light enough yet and 2) The mornings when after Falling Back when I had a plan in place and I was going to run were also the days Roland decided to wake up at 3 a.m. or 4:30 a.m. and never go back to sleep. So I'm not running a Thanksgiving 5K this year. • • • However, I do have good news for running: I turn 32 next year, and a 5K is roughly 3.1/3.2 miles, so if I run 10 5Ks next year, I'll run 32 miles at 32. That's my challenge to myself. First race: March 4, so I'll start training the second week of January. • • • We have good news about Alyson (She's not pregnant... Lordy, lordy... no.... no). But it's not my news to tell. So I'll let her do that first. • • • This morning, Evie cleared the bricks in front of the fireplace and told me to sit down. I did. She smiled and cuddled up to me. "Do you want me to take a picture?" I asked. "Yeah." So I did. It's probably my favorite picture of the two of us this year, and it's all because she wanted to be near me. That makes a person feel quite special.
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