What is it about holidays that make those days seem extra special? How is it that even on a holiday you might not really observe, like St. Patrick’s Day or Sweetest Day, the day just feels different somehow?
Part of it might be the awareness that other people ARE making a big deal about that day. Or it might be the feeling that there’s something going on that’s out of the ordinary. For me, anyway, holidays I didn’t care about in the past have taken on new meaning since I’ve had children.
Children have that special ability to turn the mundane into an extravaganza.
Whether it’s celebrating a birthday party for Curious George, complete with candles, cupcakes, presents and invitations (something my kids dreamed up and we carried on as an annual tradition) or making Day of the Dead pan de muertos on that holiday (a holiday I wasn’t even aware of before an episode of Scooby Doo), setting up holiday traditions or meaningful events with your family creates deep and long-lasting memories.
And the best part about celebrating holidays as a family? Each family member’s unique skills and interests can be showcased. In fact, the more interests and skills your family has the richer and more exciting the day will be. Here are some ways you might consider celebrating the next holiday in a different way:
1) Research the history behind the holiday. We love to read history stories in our family. From picture books to adult non-fiction, there are a huge range of books that explore the history behind holidays. When did people start celebrating that holiday? How did the idea come about? Do people all over the world celebrate the same holiday in the same way?
2) Hang up a calendar of obscure holidays. Some good sites to check for this are: https://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/index.htm, https://www.squidoo.com/obscureholidays, https://twitter.com/#!/obscureholidays. If your kids show interest, pick a holiday and decide what you could do to celebrate it. For example, on National Chocolate day you could visit a chocolate factory (I only wish Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory was real!)
3) Check out the website www.holidaysforeveryday.com. There you’ll find more unusual celebrations like the Far Side Cartoon Birthday, National Science Fiction Day and Swiss Cheese Day.
4) Turn traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter into times when your child can use her talents or interests to help others. It’s great to sing Christmas carols at nursing homes or serve at a soup kitchen, but if your child feels obligated instead of inspired, it’s not going to have the same impact you’re looking for. Instead, look at what your child loves to do and find ways to match that to real needs in the community. A boy who loves to draw might frame a drawing for a home-bound person. A girl who wants to act out stories all day might get some friends together and put on a play for sick children at a hospital.
5) Look for ways to encourage your child to develop skills she might have shied away from in the past, like writing. If there’s a real need to write encouraging letters to someone or help collect and account for money in a charity drive, which might be the way to show her the value you place on those skills and how they can be used in real ways to help others. Just be careful that she’s really on board with the idea.
Sometimes we need more holidays in our lives as a reminder to create special memories with our families.
Even as home and world learners, it can be easy for each family member to get wrapped up in their own projects. It’s important for kids to be independent, but it’s equally, and I’d argue more important, to develop strong family bonds and a sense of belonging and being needed. In our hectic, crazy world, sometimes we need to be deliberate about making that happen.
How can you add ways for your child to use his or her gifts and talents this next holiday in a way to meet a real need? What obscure holiday sounds interesting to you? How might you celebrate it?
Photo credit: archer10 (Dennis)