first we begin with tofurkey day. somehow that doesn't seem to end until almost the end of november. everyone has that 4 day weekend during which they gorge themselves and sleep way too much (i won't even mention the drinking). for some it is a time to spend with loved ones and family-- a happy occasion filled with laughter and fun. for others it's the time of the year during which you can't escape the people you do your best to ignore for 10 months out of the year.
my brother, robin, always says that it's his favorite holiday. there's lots of food, no obligatory presents, drink, merriment and the odd familial argument that is forgotten as soon as there are plates on the table laden with food (at which point all differences are put aside).
i agree with him to a certain extent. not much is expected of anyone on thanksgiving. you show up (either alone or with your wife/husband/partner/kids) and you sit around with people you've known all of your life and you simply eat until you pass out. there is no pressure (except the pressure put on the poor sod that has to cook everything- a good way to alleviate this is to have everyone bring something to the table. let that one person cook the turkey- or tofurkey, as the case may be- and let everyone else bring something that is instrumental to the meal). if everyone pitches in with the dishes then it should be a stress-free holiday for all. it's the perfect time to reminisce about all of the insane things your parents/spouses/siblings/kids have done in the past (but keep it light-hearted so that nobody gets offended!). good laughs can be had by all and it's a perfect familial bonding day.
as soon as thanksgiving is over, however, the rush towards christmas has begun. the day (and weekend) after this most precious of holidays is instantly taken over by the christmas rush. correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the day after thanksgiving known as black friday? the friday (and weekend) after thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day/weekend of the year!! nothing like getting a jump on things!!
so, after thanksgiving we have less than a month to decorate (buy trees and lights and all of that nonsense-- not to mention presents for everyone you've ever met. it's not a time for just spending time with family. it's a time to see if you are going to get what you've been angling for all year. unlike thanksgiving, christmas is not a low-pressure familial romp down memory lane. it's a time to feign delight at the socks that your auntie margret got you (even though you're 30 and you have more socks than you know what to do with). it's not a time of laughing together with no strings attached, it's a time to guage how well your family and friends know you (and how much they like you-- if they get you something at all, that is). christmas dinner can be quite pleasant (if people aren't still bitter about the wonky presents that they've received) but the main thought on everyone's mind is always, 'why didn't i get what i really wanted?'. i, for a long time, labored under the delusion that christmas was a time when we were grateful that our loved ones thought enough about us to go get us presents at all, that it was a spiritual holiday, that we should be happy to be alive and together and to sing carols and one another's praises. i suppose i was wrong.
then, not a week later we have new year's to deal with... plans to go out (parties, bars, intimate celebrations, morning hangovers, resolutions-- and then (in new orleans on new year's day- it's time for cabbage and black-eyed peas- cabbage means wealth all year round and black-eyed peas are for a year's worth of health) for the rest of the world it is then done and dusted...
the holiday season is over and done with-- unless you're in new orleans.
as soon as the new year starts we in new orleans have something altogether different to contend with... the beginning of mardi gras. this year (the 24th of february) is mardi gras day. the parades begin about 3 weeks before the day itself but preparations for the day begin almost as soon as new year's is over with. mardi gras itself is sooo much fun but when you pack holiday on top of holiday it gets a little exhausting. all you want is a break from having to be around everyone you know all of the time.
ok, that's not really totally true. i love being with my family on thanksgiving. i love giving them presents on christmas. i love seeing in the new year. i love seeing my friends on mardi gras.
it all just seems (as i get older, i suppose) that it's just one thing on top of another. it all starts at the end of november and then goes straight on through until the end of february!!
maybe i am an old lady or maybe i'm just old hat at the new orleans non-stop partying and it's wearing me out. i bet you anything that when i move i'll miss it though. no thanksgiving in the uk, no mardi gras... just that week of christmas and new years. now i think that that's it's exhausting. perhaps at this time next year i'll be bored and i'll be pining for the non-stop excitement of my hometown.
i guess we'll just have to wait and see...
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