Why Thanksgiving Tops My List of Holidays

The day before Thanksgiving I did a segment on how it’s my favorite holiday of the year, a time when families come together and enjoy one anothers company and give thanks for what they have.

I would have bet that it would clearly be the choice of most as their favorite holiday but after doing some research I learned that it’s a distant number two behind, you guessed it, Christmas.

I like Christmas as much as most of you and I can understand why it’s number one.

While Thanksgiving is a one-day holiday Christmas is a season that actually has already begun and will last for the next month.  The lights, the decorations, the music and of course Hallmark Channel movies can put you in the Christmas spirit for weeks.

It can also push you over the edge in the other direction as incredible overkill and commercialization.

Anyway with that said I offer my top ten list of holidays, some of which are not really official holidays but ones that might be celebrated for one reason or another.

1. Thanksgiving- As mentioned previously.
2. Christmas- Tis the season.  It’s here whether you like it or not.  You also have to include Hanukkah which starts December 2^nd.

3. Memorial Day- I feel guilty about this because obviously this is a holiday in which we pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.  However it’s also the unofficial start to the summer season which to me is the best reason for living at the Jersey Shore.

4. Fourth of July- Sort of the midway point of the summer season and for many a day that includes a BBQ and of course Fireworks over the Toms River which will return next summer.
5. Patrick’s Day- Yes partly because I’m Irish and Kelly green is one of my favorite colors.  But it also marks the end of “real winter” in most years and takes place around the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
6. Easter- Sort of the unofficial start of spring, depending on where it falls which will be April 21^st in 2019.
7. New Year’s Day- It’s really not even a holiday any more since just about everything is open.  I used to love it when all the college bowl games were played on this day.
8. 8-10(tie) Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day.  A three-way tie as they all merit consideration even if they never come with a day off.

I did not forget Halloween. It’s never going to make my list.