January 31st - New Year's Eve

POP!

And now we come full circle.

I started this Holiday Month project off with New Year’s Day, January 1^st, 2012.  So, logically, I end it celebrating New Year’s Eve, which takes place on December 31^st, the last day of the Gregorian calendar.  It is a time of hope and glamor and parties and bad decisions.  It is a time to flush out all of the nonsense of the previous year, and a time to get ready to kick off something new.  It’s a time to do anything that’s not depicted in that stupid Love Actually rip-off.

Since 1907, a huge component of the holiday is the dropping of the New Year’s ball in Times Square, NYC.  And since that time, Dick Clark has been there to ring in the festivities.  Through some serious foresight (and the advent of DVR), I was able to record last year’s broadcast, which I watched again to ring in the new year…again. 

I have to say that as the clock ticked down to midnight on this last night of the Holiday Month, I felt a little sad.  It’s almost like the withdrawal symptoms were already sitting in, as if I’d become addicted to celebrating a holiday every day.  I was a little nervous about what to do with tomorrow.  It’s February 1^st, after all…woot.

What would I do without another holiday meal to cook?  What would I do if I wasn’t figuring out how to decorate my office to coincide with that day’s holiday?  What would I do if I didn’t have something new to celebrate?

But I had to remind myself that the whole point of this project was to focus on the positive things that happen each and every day.  And that can mean a variety of things.  Maybe it’s when it’s sunny out (or when it’s rainy enough for puddle jumping).  Maybe it’s waking up right as The Mighty Ducks is about to come on TV.  Maybe it’s seeing an old friend that you haven’t seen in a long time, or meeting someone for the first time that will end up becoming a lifelong friend.  Maybe it’s a good cup of coffee, or an ice cold beer.  Maybe it’s the thousand little things that make up our days, things that we let pass by without even noticing.  Maybe it’s time we started taking notice.

During the course of this month, I have done a lot of things that I had never thought that I’d do (a white kid from Maine rarely celebrates Purim, let alone Ramadan or Kwanzaa).  I spent a lot of money (my bank account is limping to the finish line on this one), and most of my time during this month has been consumed by this project.  I didn’t eat really healthy, and I wasn’t the most productive person on the face of the planet (I still have that cast of Jersey Shore beat).

But I was happy this month.  I smiled more and laughed more, and I was excited about getting out of bed each morning.  I felt optimistic and happy-go-lucky, and the minutia of daily problems that would usually overwhelm me didn’t seem to be that daunting.  I had something to look forward to every day, and that’s the outlook that I will take with me as January comes to a close.  I wanted to start this year off on the right foot, and I think I’ve done just that.

So I now come to the end of The Holiday Month.  I started this project a little hungover and more than a little hopeful that I would be able to make this work.  I find myself, a month later, on January 31^st, and in that time, I’ve celebrated an entire year’s worth of holidays.  In that month I have essentially seen what lies ahead for me in 2012.  All of the holidays, all of the celebrations, all of the parties that are to come.  All of the memories that I’ve made and all of the memories that still await to be made.  All of the things that I’ve learned and all of the things that I have yet to learn.  All of the laughs I’ve had, and all of the laughs that are to come.

2012…oh what a year it’s been.  And oh what a year it will be.

January 31st - Halloween

Hooray! We've finally come to my favorite holiday, Halloween!!!

Halloween is a shortening of All Hallow's Eve, and is celebrated every year on October 31st.  It has Pagan and Christian influences that can be traced back to the 16th century, though the celebration that most of us take part in today has little to do with those early festivals.  The Pagans built huge bonfires to ward off the spirits as they took stock of the fall harvest.  Christians donned disguises to protect them from vengeful spirits, as they believed that All Hallow's Eve was the last chance for spirits to wreak havoc before the holy holiday of All Saint's Day.

Now, as I said before, Halloween is my favorite holiday and is a perfect way to round out the Holiday Month.  Yes, my priorities during Halloween have shifted throughout the year.  When I was little, the name of the day was candy and how much of it I could shove in my bag and then my face.  When I was in college, the priority was seeing girls in scanty costumes (adding the adjective "Slutty" to anything still seems like an appropriate way to make a costume).  Now, my goal is making the funniest and wittiest costume I can (this past year I grew my hair out and was the spitting image of Pablo Escobar).

I love the horror movie marathons they play this time of year as well.  Of course, I enjoy it the most when they include films like The Evil Dead, Halloween, Let the Right One In or Hellraiser.  Better still is when it's capped off by The Shining, which is in my opinion the best horror movie ever made.  However, I also enjoy the really cheesy horror flicks that sometimes pop up late at night during the weeks leading up to Halloween.  Some personal favorites include They Saved Hilter's Brain, Blood Feast, and Troll 2, which is quite possibly the worst movie ever made.

Today I celebrated by decorating  my entire office.  Many thanks to Kevin Sellers for coming in late last night to help me with this, as well as Heidi Waibel and Matt Shilling for their help this morning.  I think it turned out pretty well!

I also tried to get people to participate in trick-or-treating.  Only a few did, but there were some great costumes nonetheless!

Jillian was an Indian's fan and Elizabeth was a NYE Party Girl

 Matt was Ghostface from Scream

 Tyler was Charlotte's web.

 

 I was a quarter back.

 A day to let loose and become something that we're not is a terrific thing indeed, but Halloween is so much more than that. It's a day that allows us to act like kids again, even if we're participating in decidedly adult activities.  We get to play dress up, and we get a free pass to eat all the candy we want.  We get to use our imaginations, and we get to pretend.  Speaking as an office drone, I can't say how much I appreciate those kinds of opportunities.

My haul...

I think what I value most about Halloween, especially at this point in my life, is that it is an "un-textable" holiday.  Like Christmas or Thanksgiving, it is a holiday that requires getting out and getting around other people.  Halloween encourages us to walk around our neighborhoods and meet those that we surround ourselves with, even though they're usually in unrecognizable costumes.

In an age where communication has connected the world, but separated us physically, I cherish those times when actual interaction is not only important, but necessary.  We're removing ourselves from each other with each "LOL" we send and every smiley face we pass along.  Halloween, like many of the holidays that I've celebrated, shows that the connections we have with one another still remain.

January 30th - Kwanzaa

The traditional greeting during Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani?" which is Swahili for "What's the news?"

The holiday for today is Kwanzaa, the celebration of African-American culture that usually takes place during the last week of December in conjunction with other religious holidays.  This is important to remember, as many view Kwanzaa as some kind of "Black Christmas" (no relation to the groovy 70's horror flick).  Instead, it is a celebration of African-American achievement, culture, and history.

Kwanzaa was created in the late 1960's by Professor Maulana Karenga.  A prominent figure during the Black Power movement, Karenga wanted to create a holiday that would give Blacks an alternative to going along with what he saw as the "dominant society." Primarily practiced in the United States, it has spread into Canada as well.

There are seven basic principles of Kwanzaa.  They are:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. 
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up. 
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together. 
Ujamaa (Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. 
Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.


For information about this, please check out www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org.


To celebrate, I got candles that represented the Pan-African colors of Red, Green, and Yellow.  Because of the fascist building manager who rules my office with an iron fist of oppression, I was unable to light them.  However, I made do with what I could...

Yes, those are tiny paper flames

I also made use of a great cultural site that's located right here in High Point, NC.  Jazz is a uniquely American art form, and  is one that was developed and invented by the Black community.  One of it's legends, John Coltrane, was born right here in High Point.  So I went to pay him a visit.

And I listened to his music for much of the day...

And yes, I did wear what I thought could be identified as a traditional African shawl.  So what if it's a dress I bought at WalMart and then cut up...

As with all the holidays, I tried to celebrate today without one iota of disrespect.  I know that race is still an incredibly touchy issue in our country, and I have not had the experience of being on the oppressed end of the stick.  I've never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of my ethnic background, so my perspective on today might not be as deep as someone else.

But when I looked around where I lived today, it was really easy to find things that would help me celebrate this holiday.  There's the Coltrane statue, but also the Cultural Center in Greensboro which showcases dance and art from around the world (in addition to the Civil Rights Museum discussed on MLK Jr. Day).  No, I might not understand what it is to be a Black person, but that's what this project has been all about.  It's been about learning a little bit more about a perspective different from my own and celebrating it.  And it's been about recognizing that there really is something around us worth celebrating each and every day.

Joyous Kwanzaa everyone!

January 29th - Leap Day

 Today's holiday highlights a special quality of 2012.  It's a leap year!

 Kris Kross will make ya...

Occurring every four years, Leap Day takes place on February 29th, thus giving the month an extra day. As I'm all sure that we learned in elementary, the purpose of having a leap day is to balance out our calendar.  The Gregorian calendar (which is based on the Sun and our rotation around it), was not exactly perfect.  That is, it did not line up exactly on a whole number of days.  Instead, there is a fraction of each day left over at the end of each year.  In order to keep the calendar from drifting away from the calculated date, an extra day is inserted.

So get out your seats and... 

The same is done with the Jewish calendar, as it is also based on our movements through space.  However, as they use the Moon as their basis of measurement, instead of the Sun, instead of adding an extra day, they add an extra month every 19 years.  This is also true of the Chinese calendar, as it is a lunisolar calender as well.

So to celebrate, I've been jumping around all day, obviously.  I leaped out of bed this morning, and I leaped when I got out of my car.  Today, let's make like House of Pain and jump around.  Or, better yet...

Might as well...

January 28th - Ask a Stupid Question Day

As I turn the corner and head into the home stretch for the Holiday Month project, I'd like to try to get some more people involved.  Today's holiday is a great way to do this.

Ask a Stupid Question Day is usually celebrated on the last day of school by many students and teachers throughout the country.  The default date for the holiday, however, is September 28th, which is why I have been asking idiotic questions of everyone I have come into contact with today.  The holiday was initially created to increase student interest and involvement in school, as well as to encourage them to ask more questions in class without the fear of being ridiculed by their teachers.

So far, I've asked:

The girl at the gas station if her store was taking place in the nationwide free gas giveaway...
apparently they weren't.

The clerk at WalMart where I could find their finest caviar...I was asked what caviar was in return...

The guy at the comic book shop who was better, "Superman" or "Spiderman"...the answer is clearly Superman.

Now, I encourage anyone who reads this to ask their own stupid questions and post them as a response to this blog.  Have fun with it, and remember, today, there is definitely such thing as a stupid question!

January 27th - Arbor Day

The final Friday in January brings us to Arbor Day, which is celebrated on the final Friday of April.  It is day in which people are encouraged to plant and care for trees, and can be traced back to Nebraska in 1872.  The holiday has gained popularity steadily since then, and it is now celebrated all over the world.

Now, because it is still technically winter (even though it is now 65 degrees out here in North Carolina...gotta love the South!), I will be unable to plant a tree.  However, I did purchase a plant and will begin to take care of it today. 

Hopefully it doesn't end up like my last plant...

January 26 - Thanksgiving

 Gobble gobble!  Today marks the fourth Thursday of the month, which makes this Thanksgiving.  It also marks the first time that Thanksgiving has taken place after Christmas.  Try to keep up!

Thanksgiving is tied for my favorite holiday of the year (it's competition has got to be Halloween, but more on that in a few days).  I love the weather at the end of November, how it's crisp enough to wear a hoodie but warm enough where you don't have to worry about bundling up too much.  I love the changing of the leaves, and the sound they make when you walk across the ones that have fallen to the ground.  I love the football and the socially accepted practice of drinking too much beer and napping throughout the day at other people's houses.

Of course, I love the food, and I had to make sure that I did it justice today.  Because I have accumulated so many left overs during the course of the Holiday Month project, I decided that instead of doing the whole thing all over again, I would celebrate Thanksgiving with my favorite part.  And that would be the leftover Thanksgiving sandwich.

Made with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, it's what I eat for the week or so following Turkey Day.

My co-workers got in the act today as well.  We got a little crafty, and made turkey drawings sketching around our hands.  Some of us did really well, and some of us looked like we belonged in a 1st grade classroom, instead of just posing for a picture for one...

We also went around the table and said what we were all thankful for, and that for me is what Thanksgiving is really all about.  The food, the parade, the football games and the beer;  all of those things are good, but without the appreciation for what you have that comes with Thanksgiving, they don't mean as much.  One person said that they were thankful for a non-hostile work environment.  Another said they were thankful for cheese.  The best I heard was one person saying that they were "thankful for Wal-Mart and the people that go to Wal-Mart."

In the end, it doesn't matter what you're thankful for today.  Whether it's a good job (or even the fact that you have a so-so job in today's economy), or the fact that you still have your health.  Whether its your family or your friends or the fact that you can get through the day without strangling the people you work with.  No matter what, we all have something to be thankful for, and celebrating that is what Thanksgiving, and the Holiday Month in general, is all about.