The Perfect Holiday?

When everyone sits around and discusses their favorite holiday, Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually the first two off the board. This is, of course, understandable. Who doesn't love two days where the central themes are eating, family as well as gift-giving and gift-receiving? After that come the other big-name holidays like the Fourth of July and Labor Day. However, in thinking about it over what was a great weekend, I'm left wondering why more people don't list Memorial Day as their third-favorite holiday. If you consider all the factors, it has everything you need.

First off, it is one of those day 95% of the country has off, so you can make plans. Many companies will designate non-Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays as 'floating' holidays, so half the time you are unsure if people will have Presidents' Day off (and, really, unless you've actually been the President then you should stop complaining and get to work). However, unless you work in the food-service industry or some other entertainment venue looking to cash in on everyone else having the day off, you probably have the day free. Also, I appreciate that Memorial Day doesn't come with any real obligations. No couple has ever spent the run up to Memorial Day fighting about which set of parents' house they have to go to first. I like my holidays to be low-key and this is about as low-key as you can go. You can go to a barbecue, host a barbecue, or you can't do neither and stay home.

Memorial Day also has no real theme, which I appreciate. As such, you can celebrate it however you wish. There is enough Patriotism that you should thank a veteran, but not so much that you feel guilty if your house is not awash in Red, White and Blue like people think it has to be on the Fourth. The entire day is about moderation. There are parades, but they aren't the marathons that come with Independence Day - it's a small band, the local tee-ball teams and a few local veterans. The whole experience is over in thirty minutes (like a parade should be).

Plus, it marks the unofficial start of summer, which is always nice. There is a little extra pep in everybody's step on Memorial Day because it means that summer vacations is right around the corner. This is where it wins versus Labor Day because while the holidays are just about equal weather-wise (hot without being oppressive), Labor Day marks the end of summer and means snow will start before you know it, which is kind of a bummer (and this from a guy who loves snow). So, let me just say thank you to all the Veterans out there. To everyone else, enjoy the holiday, it may be as close to the perfect holiday as you can get.