CARVSMARK

And let’s talk about Christmas lights. Motivating yourself to untangle those twinkling knots and scale precarious ladders, all in the name of holiday cheer? It’s a workout and a half. Have we lost the true meaning of holidays? Do we really need this pressure to buy, decorate, and attend obligatory parties? Maybe we should just stick to spending quality time with family and friends. Novel idea, right?

Remember New Year’s Eve dance at the local community center? My family was notorious for going and watching my cousins play in their band playing old rock with a mix of Portuguese dancing. Now it’s a frantic scramble for overpriced tickets and a chance to witness a glittery ball descend in a city miles away. Who needs family parties when you can opt for a quiet night watching a movie and waiting for New York’s ball to drop like it’s desperately searching for a resolution?

Post-Christmas, it’s a swift transition to New Year’s resolutions. Suddenly, we’re all experts on self-improvement, armed with gym memberships and kale smoothie recipes. Then, Valentine’s Day ambushes us with hearts and flowers, leaving single folks contemplating a long-term relationship with pizza. It makes me crazy as a not only are families making valetines for school functions, teachers are making sure we have a holiday t-shirt for every event while we are buying our sequim skirts for the 12th christmas party you have attended.

As spring blossoms, the Easter bunny hops onto the scene, armed with an arsenal of chocolates. Let me tell you the only thing that was fun with the cholcolates was the kinder surprise. Those cadbury eggs still make me sick!

May brings Canada Day, a celebration dedicated to all things maple leaf. For a few months we are looking forward to our summer and the kick off of celebrating Canada wearing our white and red. The parades of cultures, the salmon on the bbq and the sun is shining so hot the best part is the local fire department with their water guns spraying the crowds as we sing, Canada in my Pocket!

Summer then goes into camping mode. Hot weather, relaxing bbq’s seem to make us forget this rat race of hoidays we have created. Or if I may say retail has created. There is nothing wrong with it but I am tired … talking to family and firends they are too. As we now are so much more aware that there is so much more holidays and cultures to celebrate.

In this holiday marathon, are we running towards joy or sprinting away from exhaustion? Maybe it’s time to reclaim the holidays, strip away the stress, and embrace the true spirit or at least, invest in a good pair of running shoes for the holiday dash.