Daily writing prompt

How do you celebrate holidays?

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I’ve been to a lot of holiday celebrations in my days, but some of my favorite holidays have been the ones where I didn’t celebrate. I’m thinking of those holidays where I got off the hook because of working, either in the pharmacy or the hospital. Or holidays where my kids spent half the day with their dad and grandparents, and I’d be home watching movies on Netflix all morning. I’m thinking of slow Christmas afternoons when I’d get home and order Chinese takeout with my kids, sitting around the tree all lit up. Or we’d get something we never get like a can of “cheese” that you squirt onto triscuits.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been many, many holidays where we’ve gone all-out, cooking big dinners and gathering with family and friends. But for some reason the holidays where we didn’t do much of anything stand out. I’m half Italian, and my mom still does elaborate Christmas Eve dinners with lots of fish. Technically it’s supposed to be seven. It’s always more than seven. I usually make it to these dinners because I love spending the time with my family. But part of me would be just as happy sitting at home, making a freezer pizza and watching Harry Potter movies.

There was the New Year’s eve where I stayed up all night watching opera on PBS. I don’t even really like opera. But it was so good! Or the time I got my kids a box set of Marx brothers movies for Christmas that we spent all day watching. I think those holidays represent rest to me. That’s what makes them so memorable.