Lets Blog Off BadgeI was raised Catholic.  And … my wife – little known fact . . . was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness.  It’s true, and yeah, it took me awhile to get my head around that.  Her mother *is* a Jehovah’s Witness.  And having lived this way now for 13 some years . . . I can say with little reservation — you’d probably find few religions (in their traditions) that are so drastically opposing.

Oh! oh.  And there I’ve done it . . . dropped the R word.  So I guess I will go on to tell you that I am what you could effectively consider an agnostic.   And to that – and especially when speaking of traditions, this all works very well to my liking.  You see I am not really one for doing things quietly, well, just because I am supposed to.

One of the core “traditions” for “Witnesses” is a lack of adherence to and total avoidance of most commonly accepted social and cultural holidays.   My mother –in-law in fact will never suddenly appear at one of our daughters’ birthday parties — it just wouldn’t happen.  No Christmas, No Fourth of July and No Mother’s Day.  She does allow herself two celebrations a year… one being the observance of her wedding anniversary (her husband not a Witness) and Thanksgiving (mainly so she can visit and feast with her brothers and sisters).

Evyn Christmas 3 years oldNo, my wife is certainly NOT a Witness.  In fact, she sometimes shares stories of regret surrounding her upbringing.  While she does tell of how the gift-giving around her parents’ anniversary was akin to what most us would know as Christmas . . . pretty sweet and especially in the middle of May, I have also heard the stories of lights off and hiding behind the couch each Halloween.

Now … my mother, on the other hand . . . plays it right by the book.  A birthday without a cake would mark the coming of an apocalypse … and we do them all, with her — the holidays in the most traditional and commonly accepted way.  Grilling for the Fourth of July, of course, check . . . fireworks for her, yes… for me, still not sure as I am typing this out . . . but maybe.  And at least we don’t have to do double duty like many married couples do . . . one portion of the state early each holiday, and another . . . late.  For this, I am very very thankful.

But now I am a blog owner

The fun of Arne Salvesen and Friday’s post got me thinking.  We as Americans sure do observe lots and lots of holidays (some religious based, most not).  And Martha Stewart‘s there for each and every one.  It’s enough to drive a (reputable) blog owner crazy.  So far this year, we have celebrated New Years Day, Presidents Day (+ the man MLK), Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, April Fool’s, Easter and Passover, Mothers Day, Memorial Day, Fathers Day and Independence Day, and more if care to do so – 10 major holidays and we are only half way thru the year.  Ugghhh.  I mean — as a (reputable) blog owner, I know I should have something up celebrating each.

And I mean – it’s the kinda thing that forces me to go with something like “American Standard :: The New Product Design Center” (even though a  great post) on the 4th of July.  It’s what I had and I do know it was a little bit of a stretch.

Eva Christmas 3 years oldNow, my tone – yep, a little bit of the scrooge, but I am not completely down on all holidays.  In many cases they are the only assured get-togethers we have with the folks we should be close with.  And there is certainly nothing bad with regular breaks (from work).  But man!  And at least my wife has made the most of it — growing up girls, the holidays often make up the various milestones for which she collects photos of Evyn and Eva – side by side in a single photo album.  She has painstakingly maintained it, . . . and props.  Evyn — Christmas 2-years-old, Eva at 2.  Evyn — Easter at 5, Eva — Easter at 5 . . . and so on.  It has become a sort of, well, tradition.

I could plug LetsBlogOff – every other Tuesday – open blogging on a pre-selected topic.  A tradition I can get behind . . . and yes, this week’s topic “Traditions.”  But I am going out on this — this little bit popped into my inbox as I was putting down these thoughts.  Speaking of open-mindedness, these lines: “In the realm of the material, men’s minds were fettered by superstition, tradition, and all sorts of fixed ideas.”  I believe that line was meant to speak to our spiritual boundlessness and maybe, in some way, to the “learned” and ritualistic aspects of our societal traditions.  Traditions at times which help keep us all. too. grounded.

*******

Thanks for reading and for more, you can catch other blogoff entries on this topic below . . .  or you could review one or two the few other holiday postings we have had so far this year:

* Earth Day with John D. Poole:  http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2011/04/earth-day-2011-three-simple-things/
* Cinco De Mayo with Anulfo Baez:  http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2011/05/anulfo-baez-mexico-margaritas-and-modernism/
* Mother’s Day with Tammy J. Dalton:  http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2011/05/perfection-is-terrible-a-moxiful-reflection-for-mothers-day/
* Mother’s Day Roundup by me:  http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2011/05/saturday-special-moms-paying-tribute-to-moms/
* (Pseudo) Memorial Day by me:  http://www.buildingmoxie.com/2011/05/so/