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.

January 26th - Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day, which is traditionally celebrated on the day after Christmas.  Originating in the United Kingdom, the custom was that wealthy land owners would give their servants gifts on December 26th.  because they were expected to work on the 25th to ensure that their lord's festivities went smoothly, the servants were also given the day off on 26th.  While the term "Boxing Day" has an unclear history, many believe it is associated with the practice of putting the servant's gifts and donations in boxes.

Though it is celebrated throughout the world, primarily in former British colonies, it is probably most associated with Canada.  Add to that their love of hockey and french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds, and it's easy to see why Canada kicks ass.

Now, because I don't have servants, I really couldn't celebrate by giving gifts to them.  So, instead, I did the next logical thing.  I had a boxing match.

It ended in a stalemate.  Happy Boxing Day!

January 25th - Christmas

Ho-ho-ho!  Today is the 25^th of January, and that means it’s…CHRISTMAS!!! The most wonderful time of the year!  HOORAY!

Phil Spector produced the best Christmas music ever recorded...I don't care if he's a nutjob

Christmas is celebrated on December 25^th of every year and commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior in Christian faiths.  Religiously, it is a time of remembrance and a time of holy reverence.  According to the story, Jesus was born on December 25^th to a virgin woman, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, in a manger in Bethlehem.  The exact date is historically debatable, but the 25^th was established by the 4^th century and has held on since then (it’s interesting that this date is also shared with Pagan holidays and the Roman winter solstice...but that's as close to that can of worms as I will come).

For me, however, Christmas was never really about Jesus.  Yes, I went to midnight mass a few times growing up, and yes, I understood what we were celebrating when set up the Nativity scene in my parent’s living room.  I knew what the little drummer boy was drumming on and on about, and I knew why the three wise men had made such a long journey.  I understood how special Jesus was, and why celebrating a man who wanted to spread peace and brotherhood to the world was important.

But even as a little kid, the connection between Jesus and Christmas was never of the utmost of importance.  Santa Claus was the real hero of Christmas for me, and I feel this was the same for many children and is still true today.  Jesus stood for humanity and eternal salvation, and while that’s all well and good, these are hard concepts for an 8 year old to grasp.  A guy that flies around the world and gives out presents if you’re good…now that’s a concept that I could get behind.

As my family moved away from church, this line began to blur even farther, until for me, it vanished completely.  Now, as I’ve stated in previous blogs, I’m not a believer.  And maybe that makes me a  God-less heathen and I'm taking advantage of celebrating Christmas without truly understanding it's message.  But I feel like I get the underlying message just fine, and I don’t think that my beliefs lessen the impact that Christmas has had and continues to have on my life.

I feel that the argument that without Christ, there is no “Christmas,” is invalid.  Christmas doesn’t mean anything less to me than what it once did.  In fact, I think it means more to me now than it did when I still believed in Jesus and his dad and all of that.  Because for me, Christmas is about family and it's about friends.  It's about the people you choose to spend your time with, and as I get older I realize that this time is more and more precious.  It's about joy and love and compassion.  It’s the time of the year where it is really okay to smile and be happy, if only for a day.  It’s one of the few times that I get to see my family each year, and that makes the day special for me and it makes me cherish it all the more. 

 As I've gotten older, the giving of gifts has taken the limelight over the receiving of gifts.  I LOVE finding presents for people, and I get the biggest kick out of watching someone enjoy what I've wrapped for them.  So, to commemorate this part of the holiday, I got gifts for each of my co-workers...

 A surprised Ms. Galbraith on Christmas morning...

And who am I kidding...I like getting presents just as much...thanks Lukas!

I have also been been listening to Christmas music all day, which I feel should be allowed at any time of the year.  I wanted to include so many songs in this post, from The Waitresses "Christmas Wrapping" to Run-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis."  I wanted to post The Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody," and Otis Redding's version of "White Christmas."  I wanted to post every Christmas song recorded by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Darlene Love. I could go on and on (as I've said, I fully support a Constitutional amendment that allows year-round Christmas music playing), but I had to pick just one more.  And while this might be a totally obvious thing to do, what the hell, it's my blog, damn it...

All kidding or blasphemy aside, I truly feel that the spirit of Christmas is one that has transcended any sort of religious beliefs for me.  It crosses cultural boundaries, and it hopefully shows us that there is good in all of us, if we're willing to take the time and put in the effort to look.

It's easy to do this through the haze of eggnog and champagne.  It's quite harder to do it during the middle of January.  But maybe if we all try hard enough, it'll be a little easier for all of us.  Because if Scrooge can understand that one should honor Christmas, and try to keep it in their heart all year, then why can't the rest of us?

January 24th - Student Day

 

Ok, so I know that I said that I wouldn’t make fun of religious holidays during this Holiday Month project.  And I feel like I’ve done a pretty job of it so far.  I’ve respected the views of Jewish and Muslim followers alike, and learned more about they’re cultures.  I’ve also tried to get back to my own Catholic roots to understand why those holidays were so important to my upbringing.  While I am still not a religious person, this project has given me a little more understanding behind why religion is such a huge facet of so many people’s lives.

But today has been pretty difficult, because the religion in question is Scientology.  The holiday that I’m celebrating is Student Day, which commemorates a special briefing course that began in 1961 at Saint Hill.  The Saint Hill Special Briefing Course is meant to train Scientologists to become better and more knowledgeable members of the Scientology community.  It is the largest single course in all of Scientology, and is named for the manor in England where Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard came up with the doctrine and belief system that would lead to Scientology.

For a little more understanding about Scientology, please visit www.scientology.org.  The word "understanding" is being used pretty loosely here, because wow, I spent many hours last night going over it and I still don't have a clue as to what it all means.  But in any case, the website has all sorts of links about their mission and merchandise.  That’s right, merchandise.  Scientology is a heavily funded religion, and one that is very costly.  As it is basically a series of courses designed to help you manage different aspects of your life, the bills can really rack up.  

What has been so difficult for me is that it’s hard to separate Scientology, the religion, and Scientology, the national punch line.  Because honestly, who hasn’t seen this and thought “What the HELL is he talking about?”

Um...say what?

For a Cliff’s Notes version of the main tenant of belief, let me bring you through the basic story. 75 million years ago, there was a vast Galactic Confederacy lead by a tyrannical dictator named Xenu (yes, the records are so good in Scientology that they have someone’s name from 75 million years ago), and he had a dilemma.  His confederacy was overpopulated, and it was running out of room.  As a solution, he transported billions of his people, in craft that looked an awful lot like a DC-8 (commercial jetliner), to Earth.  He stacked them around volcanoes, and then blew them up using a barrage of hydrogen bombs.  Their souls, which are called thetans, are still floating around us today.  In fact, each of us has a thetan inside of us, as we are all immortal souls that have forgotten our true natures.

Yup.  That’s what they believe.  We’re all aliens that have forgotten our true selves.  The only way to get back to this level of understanding is Scientology.  That, and a lot of money (to get to the level in Scientology where they tell you about Xenu, one usually has to pay upwards of $100,000).

Knowing this, is it easy to see why this is how I chose to celebrate today?  Amy Galbraith played the part of Oprah...

Also...

A quick shout out to my awesome brother, Lukas.  Today is the 24th, which means it would have been a great time to celebrate Christmas Eve.  I felt like that was giving Christmas two days, and that would have been unfair, so I decided to axe it from the project.  However, Lukas pulled through and refused to let it die.

My family has a tradition of opening up one present on Christmas Eve.  In recent years, that present has been a LEGO set.  My brother and I open our LEGOs, and see who can build their the quickest.  (It took me less than 5 minutes, from the time I unwrapped everything to the time it was built...beat that!)

January 23rd - Chinese New Year

Today is the last of the three holidays that actually take place during the month of January 2012.  The Chinese New Year commemorates the start of the Chinese Calendar Year (as the Chinese calendar is based on the moon, rather than the sun, it does not follow the traditional Gregorian calendar), and is the most important and largest holiday in Chinese culture.  Each year is associated with a different animal that corresponds to a different symbol on the Zodiac.  This year, 2012, is the Year of the Dragon (my year, 1984, was the Year of the Rat…how’s that for being born under a bad sign?)

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, I passed out fortune cookies to all of my co-workers.  The usual “...in bed” comment made most of theirs better (“This weekend will bring you a surprise…in bed,” “A pleasant surprise is in store for you…in bed,”  “You will receive some high prize or award soon…in bed," "You are going to have a pleasant experience...in bed,").

The best fortune, in my opinion, was found by both of the Marys that work in my office.  It said that “Although it feels like a roller coaster now, life will calm down.”   That's comforting, especially as this is a crazy busy time of year for us in the office.  It's nice to know that the fortune telling Gods have a positive outlook on our lives.  The hurleyburleyness of our workaday lives might finally be coming to a smoother time.

However, I really enjoy roller coasters, so I guess that could be seen as a bad thing as well.  Damn you ambiguous fortune writers…

I will also be cooking a Chinese dinner tonight.  I thought about coping out and ordering in from a local place (Chu’s Express would have been my choice…sorry Chu).  But then I realized that I had been cooking everything else for this month, why stop now.

  

Last night's feast included: General Tso's Chicken, brown rice, potstickers (both chicken and pork), pork and shrimp egg rolls, and szechuan asparagus.  Yes, that's sake...I couldn't find any Chinese equivalent, big whoop.  It actually turned out pretty well...but I still should have gone to Chu's...

January 22nd - Earth Day

Today is the hippiest of holidays that I will be celebrating this month.  Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year, and is meant to bring awareness to environmental issues. The first observance of the holiday took place in San Francisco (I told you it was a hippie holiday), but it has now gained acceptance from the United Nations as an important cause to be observed.

Now, no matter what side of the climate change issue you find yourself on, whether you agree with it or you don’t (you’re wrong), you have to admit that we are causing major problems for our planet.  We are wasteful, destructive, and poisonous to our world, and we all can do something more to help counteract our impact.

I already recycle, and I try to use environmentally conscious alternatives to the products that I buy whenever I get a chance.  I walk to my destination when I have the opportunity, and I make sure to turn off both lights whenever I’m not using them.  I don’t turn my heat/air conditioning on until I absolutely have to, and I try to carpool as much as possible.  I am in no way the perfect environmentalist, but I am definitely trying my best and I bet that if we all did the same thing, our home would be a much cleaner place.

So, instead of celebrating Earth Day how I normally celebrate the Earth each and every day, I chose to instead honor one of its greatest creatures.  Like Tracy Jordan says on 30 Rock, live every week like it’s shark week.  Amen to that…

Thanks to Lukas, my kickass brother, for ordering this shark blimp for me.  It has already paid for itself by the amount of fun that we’ve had with it.  Hooray Planet Earth!

January 21st - Sweetest Day

 

 Today I’m celebrating a holiday that is probably unknown to most people outside of the Great Lakes Region.  The holiday is Sweetest Day, and it traces its roots back to Cleveland, Ohio, where a group of 12 men lead by candymaker C.C. Hartzell created the holiday in 1922.  Because of it's ties to confectionery companies, it is often seen as a completely commercial holiday with no real value.  I would have to disagree.

 The 12 Men behind "Sweetest Day"...not exactly Willy Wonka

Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of October was originally said to be intended as a day for people to be charitable and kind to others.  This meant donations to shelters, volunteering time at different community organizations, and generally being a more pleasant person to those that you might normally overlook.  Nowadays, it has morphed into a “second Valentine’s Day” for many couples in the Great Lakes region, and is now seen as an opportunity to remember friends and family who have been helpful and kind throughout the year.

Critics may blast today's holiday as another way for people to spend money in lieu of actually caring.  But I chose to go against this cynicism and celebrate Sweetest Day as it was intended to be celebrated.  I gave money to homeless people that I saw on the street, and I made donations to the local Goodwill.  I was more pleasant to the bad drivers that I came into contact with on the roads, waving with all five fingers instead of my usual one.  And I spent most of today unpacking and decorating an apartment that isn’t mine.  Anyone that has been through this experience knows that this right there would be enough to showcase the spirit of Sweetest Day.

All kidding aside, I really liked the idea of this holiday.  Because commercialism has bastardized so many facets of our society, it’s kind of nice to take this one back from the corporations.  Who cares if a bunch of candy giants created the day in order to sling more chocolate to the masses?  I think the idea of remembering those that society has forgotten is a noble one, and a good idea is a good idea no matter who comes up with it. 

So for the rest of the day, let's all be a little nicer to each other.  Let's allow the smiles come easily to our faces, and let's enjoy each others company more.  Let's be kinder to strangers, and more helpful to those that really need it.  Sweetest Day can be more than a greeting card holiday, and I think that's worth celebrating.