How to Invent a Holiday

Holidays are wonderful things. At least, they started out that way. Whatever the origins of all the major holidays, family and community traditions have built up around them. In recent decades, American culture has added its own layers of expectation, including what to buy and when to take time off. Maybe you enjoy participating in all this and want more. Maybe you're tired of going through the motions and want something that has more meaning. Either way, you can invent your own holiday any time of year. All you need is a little imagination and planning.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Find something to celebrate or commemorate. Birthdays and anniversaries are obvious choices, but they don't have to be your own. Remember George Washington's birthday and Columbus Day? You might choose to observe James Dean's birthday and the invention of the bicycle, or your first grade teacher's birthday and the day your ancestors arrived in this country. Consider events in the natural cycle, too, such as the year's first tomato harvest or the moon turning full on a weekend night.
2. Discuss your proposed holiday with loved ones, neighbors, coworkers or anyone who might enjoy celebrating it with you. Maybe these people will have ideas of their own. This is what makes a shared holiday so much richer than a private observance.
3. Unless your holiday is totally inappropriate (such as the invention of your favorite birth control product or the anniversary of your first psychedelic experience), you absolutely must involve children. They'll give your event the fresh enthusiasm and faithful acceptance that few adults are capable of recapturing. Remember when you still believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? It's like that.
4. Plan special holiday activities. Maybe they'll be thematically related to your event (think candles for the December holidays and fireworks for Independence Day). Maybe they'll be excuses for something fun but not holiday related (think New Year's Day movie and Memorial Day BBQ).
5. Decorate your home or workplace. Dress for the occasion. Why not? Visual display is a big part of celebration.
6. Spread the word about your holiday. This is one way to begin a community tradition. But if you want to keep it small, that's okay, too.

Tips & Warnings

• Holidays equal tradition. If you want to start one, it's important to celebrate something that will remain meaningful for years to come, no matter how important it seems this year.
• History shows that some people can't get enough of the holiday spirit. For example, by the time of its fall, Rome observed 159 public festivals each year. The moral? Have fun, but keep an eye on the barbarians outside your city walls!