Everybody celebrates at least a few special days – birthdays, national holidays, religious observances. But in our house, a few is not enough!
We expand the list by creating annual holidays of our own. There are lots of special things in life that are worth remembering or honoring. Why not enjoy them?
Because they were both witty and creative, we adopted Jane Austen and Benjamin Franklin as the “patron saints” of our home, so naturally their birthdays are always on the calendar. My favorite poem is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” so we celebrate that not on T. S. Eliot’s birthday but on the first day of the month the poem was published.
They summer at their lake house!
Sometimes our holidays are reminders of wonderful trips. I Love Paris day marks the anniversary of our first trip to that beautiful city, and the day is observed with a French feast. Barcelona Day is another, and of course I whip up some tapas for that celebration.
In the slighter harder to explain category, we celebrate Peony Day (which usually manages to coincide with the first blooming of our front yard peonies. Then there is Founders’ Day which is in honor of the day that we moved into our home.
In the nearly impossible to explain in 10 paragraphs or less are Hedgehog Day and Love a Pig. Trust me when I say that they have very good reasons for making the calendar.
How you celebrate you own mini-holidays is up to you. Ours often include decorations, special foods, field trips, readings, and/or drinking a toast to the honoree. No matter what or how, the cost can be as little as nothing and the cheer that you bring to everyone can be priceless!
My dear mother, may she rest in peace (1927-2020), had a few life mantras that line up well with the beautiful attitude of La Bellitude. Among them were, “Real butter, please,” “I believe in sleep,” and – apropos to this particular post – “Celebrate everything.” She also enjoyed those off-beat national days such as “National Deviled Egg Day” and “National Cupcake Day.” Thank you, LB!
Thanks for sharing that about your mother. I love her mantras and that you’re passing them on!
I love mantras! They are easy to remember. They take your mind off other things, often not useful. And they are true. This is a favorite of mine:
“eternal validity of all beautiful and fleeting things” A. Morrow Lindbergh
What a perfect idea to create reasons to celebrate more days Stephanie!
I remember a mantra from a long ago yoga retreat that I use to this day. “The earth, in its devotion, carries all things good and evil. Man should strive to do the same.”
And I love the one from Lindbergh. She was wise and not appreciated as she should have been.