Why Holidays are Important

Holidays are important to me.  Most of my friends don’t feel this way.  I understand there are many complex reasons for this.  As a society we have commercialized our way right into a distaste, if not disdain, for most holidays.  I often hear people make these types of statements:

“We don’t need a holiday to show how much we love each other.”

Or

“We don’t need a ‘season of giving’ to remind us to be generous.  We should do that all year."

In general, holidays are viewed as “just another day” by many people, with one glaring exception.  Even those who usually downplay the need for occasions to celebrate tend to respect Thanksgiving.  The obvious need for gratitude these days is seemingly too great to NOT participate.  Apart from that, though, holidays are not given much respect anymore.  So what value is there to holidays?    

In order to explain my love for holidays, I turn to William Shakespeare and one of the most famous moments in Shakespearean liturgy, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. We have a term in the world of English teachers called “conceit,” and it means something much different in literature than it does in life.  A conceit is an extended metaphor, which is a comparison between two seemingly dissimilar things.  Metaphors are usually found in passing, as a fleeting moment in literature.  A conceit, in contrast, often extends through several lines of a poem or, in this case, a play.  When Romeo is standing beneath Juliet’s balcony he spends a great deal of time (an entire sonnet’s worth) comparing her to celestial bodies, like the moon and stars.  What we have, then, is his focused, detailed, intentional attempt to express his love to her in poetic form, and in my mind, that’s what holidays are for.

I can tell those I love how much they mean to me every day.  I can make it my practice to celebrate my love for my country and feeling of patriotism 12 months out of the year.  I can be generous, thankful, and inspirational in March, as well as December, but the truth is there is something different about having a 24 hour period that is purposefully focused on one person, one thought, one expression. 

Romeo expresses his love for Juliet throughout the entire play, not just in this one act.  What makes these lines so important, then, so different?  This moment in time stands out because of its singular designation.  This is not Romeo telling Juliet he loves her while they are in the midst of an argument, a dance, a discussion, a feast, or a task.  This is Romeo taking a few moments to lose himself in his expression of love.  For that amount of time, nothing else exists but his need to pour out his feelings and not care about how they sound, or what will happen tomorrow. 

Truth be told, we aren’t usually that focused, even if we are intentionally celebrating a holiday.  The world tends to creep in, even when we are having a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, birthday party, or Christmas Eve candle lighting ceremony.  But in spite of all of the distractions that are likely to interfere, my heart loves trying.  I love being intentional about focusing a chunk of time on one person, one thought, one value, or one blessing for which I’m extremely grateful.   It’s sometimes a battle for time, energy, and cooperation, but if we quit trying, we we’ll never succeed.  And we need to succeed.  When we celebrate holidays, we nurture tradition, and that creates an important shift in mental focus.  When we celebrate the value of one day, we tend to find ourselves appreciating other days more.  When we are finished enjoying a Fourth of July cookout with friends, we frequently say, “We should cookout more often!”  I believe taking the time to celebrate leads to a healthier perspective and a happier more selfless life.

So, this takes us back to the beginning of this post and the idea that we may not need a holiday because we should be showing love or gratitude or patriotism every day.  Taking the time to actually appreciate designated moments in time doesn’t mean we get a pass to forget these things the rest of the year.  The opposite actually happens.  Placing value on holidays makes us more grateful, more aware, more intentional about placing value on every day.  Suddenly a holiday is no longer “just another day,” but every day becomes a holiday.  That doesn't happen if we don't celebrate, but when we do, its magical, and it makes all the difference in the world.  That’s why holidays are important to me.