What is your favorite holiday?

[LaraW]

Today is Canada's Thanksgiving, and someone there said that Thanksgiving was their favorite holiday. I started wondering what everyone's favorite holiday is. My personal favorite is also Thanksgiving - low stress, just have a nice dinner and a long weekend to enjoy family and friends.

I do like Christmas, but too many years of stressing about what to get people, running around to various family's homes, etc just exhausted me and wore me out. I did not like that at all. Last year DH and I stayed home. We joked that we weren't going anywhere and nobody was invited. It was the best Christmas we ever had.

What about everyone else?

[Canice]

Yup, me too! I quite like Christmas, too, but probably wouldn't if I had tons of gift-buying to do/travel/difficult family gatherings, etc. It's just me, DBF, the dog, the tree and a roaring fire :) .
Don't care much for Independence Day (though I care a lot for the independence!) or New Year's Eve. To each her own!

[SueK]

Lara - Thanksgiving is my favorite, too. I do love Christmas, but since fall is my favorite time of year, I guess that's why I like Thanksgiving best.

[tbb113]

Its hard to pick a favorite...but I think it is Thanksgiving. Its nice to have a holiday that almost everyone celebrates and celebrates in the same way. Also nice that the focus is family, friends and gratefullness :) But I REALLY like the 4th of July 'cuz I'm a sucker for fireworks. ;)

Tyra

[linsleyd]

I want to automatically say Christmas because it is my favorite time of year but I hate the gift buying and family gatherings. Last year we were snowed in so we spent Christmas with our friends who are our neighbors and my brother. It was much nicer and much less stressful!

So, CHristmas if its just DH and I, otherwise it would have to be July 4 because a whole group of us camp that week and it's one of the greatest times of the year!

[sneezles]

Originally posted by ebobbitt
HALLOWEEN!

I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with me...my very favorite is Halloween!

[ebobbitt]

HALLOWEEN!

[badunnin]

Easter.

[beejayw1]

Christmas for the family and cooking and fellowship. Easter for the meaning (thank goodness they haven't commercialized THAT one yet!)

[Grace]

Easter and Thanksgiving.

[Lucinda]

I love Thanksgiving, the food, the gathering of friends and family, the low stress (aside from worrying about the turkey), no weeks and weeks of scrambling beforehand.

But my absolute favorite is Labor Day. Yes, Labor Day. Twice in my life I have fallen in love over Labor Day weekend, so every Labor Day I smile, thinking of old flames. . .:D

[kristalsnow7]

I like Easter best. Then probably Halloween.

[RebeccaT]

Christmas! I so wish that it wasn't so commercialized, but I love the meaning, the reverence of it. I love Christmas Eve candlelight services. I love choosing gifts for people. I love the food and baking and sharing it with friends. I love decorating my home so that it looks all twinkly. I get so sad when I think that all Christmas is to many people is stress and commercialism, because to me there is so much excitement and it is really fun. Even when I worked in retail, and had paper cuts all over my hands from gift wrapping and was tired from extended mall hours and had to work on Christmas Eve, I still loved Christmas!

[stefania4]

Easter. For one thing, Atlanta is just gorgeous in the Spring. And as a Christian, I enjoy the prepatory week of prayer and reflection culminating in a big rejoicing on Sunday.

And on a purely secular level, I love that DH's Easter tradition is to eat out at a Cuban restaurant up the street. We invite a few close friends to join us and have a wonderful time!

[Kay Henderson]

For me, Christmas. I love decorating the house, and planning and enjoying holiday events.

When I started teaching, I was surprised to find out that my elementary students' favorite holiday was Halloween. This remained consistent over the 32 years that I taught. I'm sure the candy didn't hurt, but I concluded that the reason they were so enthusiastic was because our culture is poor in opportunities for fantasy. Every child I ever heard talk about Halloween spoke of "being" someone or something, not "dressing as" or "wearing such-and -such a costume."

[lisalee]

Thanksgiving is my favorite food holiday and Christmas is my favorite over all holiday. I love the family feeling for both. I like all the different foods we eat at Thanksgiving and remembering where the traditions came from. There are Christmas traditions that I have follwed since I was little that mean a lot to me too. This year I hope that I can be in Iowa (not because of the weather) so that I can help my youngest nephew celebrate his 5th birthday on New Year's Day. (At least he is the youngest up until my newest nephew is born-any day now :) )

Lisa

[AndreaU]

I love any holiday, really. DH, the dogs & I get into Halloween and LOVE candy! Christmas is great because I love the time of the year and it's usually the only time during the year when I get to see my family (we live within an hour of all of DH's family). I'm a bit disappointed by the commercialism, though. I'm trying hard to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas, without overdoing the decorations and gifts.

I guess I'm with the Thanksgiving crowd. It's such a simple idea- give thanks for everything we have. Gather friends and family, celebrate the harvest with a delicious feast and enjoy the company of others. Nothing fancy, just a nice peaceful day.

[wallycat]

I'd have to vote Thanksgiving.
I love the meaning of the holiday and I love the focus of food, family and friends :)

[eas11]

Originally posted by beejayw1
Christmas for the family and cooking and fellowship. Easter for the meaning (thank goodness they haven't commercialized THAT one yet!)

Hmmm, not so sure about that... Not AS commercialized as Christmas, but it seems to be getting there. The stores are FULL of huge baskets and more candy and gifts than I can imagine anyone needing. Lawns are decorated with egg ornaments on the tree's, signs in the windows and blow-up bunnies in the yard. I've seen some houses with pastel lights (that's after the green ones come down after St. Patrick's day).
I know several families whose celebrations (egg hunts and giving baskets, do rival Christmas gifts).:eek:

BTW, my favorite secular holiday is July 4th, because I love our celebration...all day at Tanglewood, picnicing with friends, listening to music, people watching and seeing all the patriotic picnic table settings. So much fun!

[tamawrite]

I can't decide between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think when it comes down to it, I'd have to say Thanksgiving because:

-there's always great food
-it's a family gathering holiday
-and ESPECIALLY because of all the anticipation for the coming holiday season

:)

[Minky]

I like Easter the most, then probably Thanksgiving, with Halloween a close third.


These would also be the dog's favorites, since they include *No Fireworks*:rolleyes:

[HRJ]

Traditionally, my favorite holiday has been Thanksgiving. I love the sentiment of the holiday; the time of year; the food ;) . I also love the idea that it's a holiday for everyone and can be interpreted in many different ways, yet its observance also unites us as Americans.

On a personal note, our son's adoption was finalized this year on July 4 (in Guatemala, where, of course, July 4 isn't a holiday -- it was just a coincidence that it happened that day.) So July 4 has become a very special day for our family, and I'll always think of it as my favorite day from now on.


Helene

[Tess]

Christmas!

[ISAIAH30_18]

Hmmmmmm.......I love Christmas, the actual Christmas day where we watch Little House on the Prairie's "The Christmas They'll Never Forget" and remember what it's all about. I hate the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and especially all the guilt of why we don't spend it here or there.

Thanksgiving is pretty high on my list, but there is still that family guilt dynamic. With divorced parents there is nothing enjoyable about a 1 day holiday for me. Someone's always hurt and I'm always the one who has to decide. People think divorce only affects small children...no, it affects us big kids too.

Ok....wait this is a happy thread.....I think I like Labor Day too...it's a free day!!! We always have the best time on Labor Day.


Sorry for the gloom and doom tone today....I need some sleep!! :)

[Kayaksoup]

I love Christmas. I decorate my small live tree the first week of december, I play Xmas carols whenever I can, I bake, I wrap gifts. In the evening, I sip something hot and possibly alcoholic, cuddle up with my BF and bask in the glow of the lights. Actuall Xmas day, I call all the relatives, then unplug the phone and spend the day with my BF. We cook a wonderful dinner, usually NOT Turkey, listen to music, play games talk etc. We do not give gifts to each other, just cards, because every year we get a nice big gift for us. Last year it was the food processor and the stand mixer.
Boxing day, I also have off, so I call everyone I forgot to call and Bf makes sandwiches from the leftover Xmas dinner and takes them downtown to give away.

[RebeccaT]

Originally posted by ISAIAH30_18
People think divorce only affects small children...no, it affects us big kids too.


I hear ya. It's so tough. It's taken us 4 years, but I think we have a setup established now that everyone can live with. We'll have to go through it all again when kids are in the picture, but so far it's liveable. PM me if you want to know what's worked for us...

(((Isaiah)))

[JHolcomb]

Christmas. It used to be Halloween, but we don't get trick-or treaters where we live, and DH doesn't enjoy dressing up and going out (I loooooooove dressing up for Halloween and it pains me to walk past costumes in the store knowing there's no chance that I'm going to need one any time soon).

I like the craziness of the Christmas season. Love it, in fact. I love choosing the perfect gift, decorating, wrapping gifts elaboratly and the cooking and baking. I love the t.v. specials and the cold air and the twinkle-y lights and most of all the antici.....pation. Having an excuse to use my good china. And I'm the one that gets to do most of the baking and hosting of dinners. I like being in control :p. During Thanksgiving and Easter I'm at the mercy of others when it comes to food (and Easter is a big cassarole holiday in his family, ick!), and I don't like that. It totally stresses me out. I do like Easter for the hymns and the Lent breaking and the miracle, though. Thanksgiving kinda bores the crap out of me, especially since my sister moved away and now no one will watch the Macy's parade w/me anymore. So in order, I think it's Christmas, Halloween (I still love the time of year) and Easter.

[Canice]

Originally posted by Kayaksoup
Boxing day, I also have off, so I call everyone I forgot to call and Bf makes sandwiches from the leftover Xmas dinner and takes them downtown to give away.

What a nice thing to do! :)
Jen, I wish I could ship DBF off to you for Halloween - he LOVES everything about it and I hate it.

[PoppyJ]

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The food, the family, and the fun.

I love Christmas, but I think everyone puts too much value on the presents and misses the whole point of the holiday. I couldn't believe there were Christmas decorations in Rite Aid yesterday.:eek: