Favorite Holiday ?

[The emperor has no clothes]

Have the day off, but had to get up at 4 and go in and do an order. On the way back home I got to thinking about how much I dislike Thanksgiving. Always have. Women are stressed out from all the cooking and preparation they have to do. Some of them seem to feel we are fair game for taking out their frustrations. On top of that, it's just a lot of physical work. By the time we get thru this next week I am usually physically and mentally beat down.
 Then I got to thinking, which holiday do I enjoy the best ? For me it's got to be Memorial Day. Not so much here in the desert, but in Alaska it always represented the start of a fun summer season. People are cheerful and excited about finally blowing off the winter doldrums. It's busy, but not so stressful as everyone is getting outside grilling, drinking, fishing, and doing multitudes of outdoor activities.

Anybody else got holidays the like and dislike ?

[hubcapsc]

I like all the ones that cause family to get together. I can relate
to the stressors in preparation, some love all the getting ready,
some can't wait till it is over...

-Mike

[NewValker]

I’m with you Rob, Memorial Day, we spruce the town up for the parade, the world greens up, put away the cold weather gear.
Craig

[Skinhead]

With the Black Friday crap and the news reports of how lousy the retailers are doing, I would have to say Thanksgiving and Christmas are my 2 least favorite holidays.  The true meaning of those days now seem to take a back seat to marketing, and most of the population seems to be buying into the marketing hype.  Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Halloween are among my favorites.  I like Mike enjoy all holidays that tend to bring the family together.  Although it just isn't the same since my parents passed on.  RIP Mom and Pop.

[Beardo]

Favourite holiday for me is July . I take the whole month off and just ride.

Followed closely by moose and whitetail season.

Not a fan of any of the other forced, well marketed holidays, with the exception of Remembrance Day. My favourite day is Dec 26...the furthest possible day from the next Christmas. I enjoy being with family but dislike what Christmas has become.

[Titan]

With the Black Friday crap and the news reports of how lousy the retailers are doing, I would have to say Thanksgiving and Christmas are my 2 least favorite holidays.  The true meaning of those days now seem to take a back seat to marketing, and most of the population seems to be buying into the marketing hype.  Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Halloween are among my favorites.  I like Mike enjoy all holidays that tend to bring the family together.  Although it just isn't the same since my parents passed on.  RIP Mom and Pop.

This is not to disagree with your post but, when I read it, it started me thinking and brought up some memories from many years ago. I'm 75 years old and I remember hearing people complaining about the commercialization of Christmas when I was very young. We obviously didn't have mass communication back then so I heard such complaints from within the circle of family and friends.

It comes up every year, early in the holiday season, when people say the same thing as if it's a new thing that just started happening within the last couple of years.

I decided to do a search to see if the thought had really been around a while or had just become a thing in the last few years. Guess what. The idea of the holidays being commercialized goes way back hundreds of years!

I found numerous articles on the subject. Here's only one. You may find it interesting.

http://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2014/12/21/Commercialization-of-Christmas-holiday-is-nothing-new/stories/20141221019

[Titan]

My favorite holidays are those where family gets together.

Thanksgiving, to me, has always been a day where my family has gathered for the traditional dinner. In some cases it has varied from the traditional turkey dinner to maybe BBQ or something else for the crowd, But, either way, it's a family gathering.

Christmas works out pretty much the same way in our family where everybody does their own thing at home with immediate family with the gifts. But most often there's always a part of the family, somewhere, that hosts a huge dinner gathering maybe on a different day.

Both of those holidays are my favorite times of every year.

[msb]

July 1st...Canada Day for me. It's really the only holiday left that remains true to its original intent...people getting together to celebrate the birth of our nation....and it's in the middle of Summer. There's no marketing crap pressuring one to purchase something, but there's lots of events to attend where folks of all kinds are just having a good time...especially in the small town/rural areas where we never venture out of.
Rememberence Day is a close second, or on par.....if one just ignores the politicians' pontifications at official ceremonies in larger centers. Again, like with most of these types of things, small town/rural areas are the places to be....our past home town and our current even smaller one do this celebration of those who have  served and still do serve  right....it's a real inspiring day .
For many years now I have been soured on the " Christmas Season" (not the true meaning of Christmas, or the part of families gathering), but of the " Season" which somehow has seen its way to be extended right up into Halloween and Rememberence Day now and has been watered down to a an endless marketing campaign for commercial purposes. That being said, I am looking forward to it this year however, as it will be the very first time since our daughters got married that we will have  them  and both our son in laws  here at our place all together.  
Also.... I like it when Father's Day rolls around ...just because it signifies  only one more week until our annual BC/PNW Valhalla Rally , traditionally held the weekend after  

[0leman]

Since I retired (my wife is also retired)  Thanksgiving is a good time for all of us.  My local kids, Daughter/Hubby/two boys, My Mom and wife and I sit down to a good meal.  It has been prepared by my wife and daughter.  No stress, just good family time.  

Since I retired, my wife prepares the meal and I clean up the mess.  A good arrangement as I don't like to cook.  So it is no difference at Thanksgiving meal.  I stay out of the kitchen till its time to carve up the turkey.

So if I had to pick one, Thanksgiving is the one.  

[Skinhead]

With the Black Friday crap and the news reports of how lousy the retailers are doing, I would have to say Thanksgiving and Christmas are my 2 least favorite holidays.  The true meaning of those days now seem to take a back seat to marketing, and most of the population seems to be buying into the marketing hype. Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Halloween are among my favorites.  I like Mike enjoy all holidays that tend to bring the family together.  Although it just isn't the same since my parents passed on.  RIP Mom and Pop.

This is not to disagree with your post but, when I read it, it started me thinking and brought up some memories from many years ago. I'm 75 years old and I remember hearing people complaining about the commercialization of Christmas when I was very young. We obviously didn't have mass communication back then so I heard such complaints from within the circle of family and friends.

It comes up every year, early in the holiday season, when people say the same thing as if it's a new thing that just started happening within the last couple of years.

I decided to do a search to see if the thought had really been around a while or had just become a thing in the last few years. Guess what. The idea of the holidays being commercialized goes way back hundreds of years!

I found numerous articles on the subject. Here's only one. You may find it interesting.

http://www.toledoblade.com/news/religion/2014/12/21/Commercialization-of-Christmas-holiday-is-nothing-new/stories/20141221019

I haven't read the articles yet, but I don't disagree, I just think it continues to get worse.  The commercials appear earlier and earlier each year.  People spend more time planning their black Friday camp outs than they do the Thanksgiving meal.  Oh, and while I'm at it, GET OFF MY LAWN!

[Willow]

Have the day off, ... On the way back home I got to thinking about how much I dislike Thanksgiving. ... Some of them seem to feel we are fair game for taking out their frustrations. ...
 Then I got to thinking, which holiday do I enjoy the best ? ...
Anybody else got holidays the like and dislike ?

I have the whole of Thanksgiving week off and then I'm on Christmas vacation for the entire month of December.

I enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  Oh, and also Independece day and Memorial Day and Veterans' Day.  I celebrate as I choose.  I don't let the media or commercial world dictate to me or impose upon me what the holiday means to them.  I especially like being with family and friends.

Someone's taking out frustrations on me is only meaningful if I give it permission to be meaningful.  I don't.  Mostly when someone expresses displeasure to me my response, not necessisarily aloud, is "Thank you for your input but it's just so much BS to me."

Life is not always what we make it but it is more often than not what we allow it to be.    

[Jess from VA]

The holidays just come and go for me with no fanfare (like my birthday).

I talk to family and friends on the phone on some of them.  

I stay off the freeways on most of them, so never travel to see family on holidays.

I guess my favorite holiday is my mom's birthday, she's 89 tomorrow (born Nov 1929).  We talked for a couple hours yesterday, and she still makes me laugh with her sharp wit and good sense of humor.      

[Hooter]

That's the best Jess!

[Skinhead]

I guess my favorite holiday is my mom's birthday, she's 89 tomorrow (born Nov 1929).  We talked for a couple hours yesterday, and she still makes me laugh with her sharp wit and good sense of humor.     

That's why I mentioned Halloween, it is my mother's birthday, I miss those birthday calls.

[Oss]

Had to give this one a bit of pondering before answering the question

Thanksgiving and Passover.

During both holidays we work our tails off for a bunch of family
and we have a custom to go around the table saying what we are thankful for at the time.

The responses can surprise and also bring more than a few tears.

Then I toast to family here, family gone and thank everyone

Passover is sort of like Thanksgiving except we thank the Lord for leading us from bondage in Egypt and for feeding and providing for us for 40 yrs and then watching us be free men and women in a free country. Not just Israel but here in the USA. We have many veterans in our family 2 still alive from wwII.  It is our job to see that we stays that way...free and welcoming to both our family but also friends who may have nobody to celebrate the holiday with.

After that I love every day I see my granddaughter.

Politics is not mentioned in my house during holiday events unless the person wants to hear my views    so it stays civil.

Is Inzane a holiday?  That gets honorable mention

[The emperor has no clothes]

Have the day off, ... On the way back home I got to thinking about how much I dislike Thanksgiving. ... Some of them seem to feel we are fair game for taking out their frustrations. ...
 Then I got to thinking, which holiday do I enjoy the best ? ...
Anybody else got holidays the like and dislike ?

I have the whole of Thanksgiving week off and then I'm on Christmas vacation for the entire month of December.

I enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.  Oh, and also Independece day and Memorial Day and Veterans' Day.  I celebrate as I choose.  I don't let the media or commercial world dictate to me or impose upon me what the holiday means to them.  I especially like being with family and friends.

Someone's taking out frustrations on me is only meaningful if I give it permission to be meaningful.  I don't.  Mostly when someone expresses displeasure to me my response, not necessisarily aloud, is "Thank you for your input but it's just so much BS to me."

Life is not always what we make it but it is more often than not what we allow it to be.    

I'm sure that would fly.

[John Schmidt]

I think I like my birthday most, means I've lived through another year somewhat successfully. Like Jess, no big fanfare for either my wife's or my b'days, just a little something to show love and appreciation for each other. My wife's b'day is 11 days before our anniversary and every year I suggest(jokingly) we just celebrate just one day in the middle rather than the two so close together. Of course, you know what the answer is to that....been that way since anniversary #1. It's a family joke....my joke....she's serious.  

As for the upcoming holidays, I find them a bit tiring and get a bit lonely this time of year. I don't get to see any of my family, been years since I've been able to spend any holidays with them. I do have a rather humorous story about a grandson and the T'giving turkey which his mother convinced him was a male because her sister stuck the neck protruding from between his legs. Just let your imagination go wild with that because all my girls were together that year and played it to the hilt. I'll expand on it another day.  

[Serk]

I'm personally rather fond of Saturnalia...

[cookiedough]

With the Black Friday crap and the news reports of how lousy the retailers are doing, I would have to say Thanksgiving and Christmas are my 2 least favorite holidays.  The true meaning of those days now seem to take a back seat to marketing, and most of the population seems to be buying into the marketing hype.  Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Halloween are among my favorites.  I like Mike enjoy all holidays that tend to bring the family together.  Although it just isn't the same since my parents passed on.  RIP Mom and Pop.

Same here as what you said above, agree as well.   Only thing different is my Mom is still alive but Dad passed on Christmas night in 2008, ten years gone now almost hard to believe it has been that long seems like 4-5 years ago....     Never been a huge fan of Christmas even as a kid having to go to grandma and grandpas house luckily in the same town but having 10+ uncles/aunts drinking, fighting, and smoking all afternoon/night long is not a kids cup of tea when I had 2-3 presents sitting at home not playing with.  I guess a few good things can be said about Thanksgiving and Christmas having a few days off work, sometimes just immediate family gets together more often than not, and lots of food to eat....  This will probably be the 2nd year in a row though that our daughter in college has to work retail at her part time job unable to get off for either holiday coming up... 

Hardest part for me is being couped up most of winters cold months not riding any cycle for over 4 months until around April 1st...   

[J.Mencalice]

Labor Day.  It's the beginning of the fall which is our favorite time of the year, slowing down and cooling down from the blast furnace that can come with summer.  Pasture is cut and hay put up for the final time.  Ready to split and stack wood for the winter.  Schools are back in session and the weekday traffic on the back roads is absent of the Griswolds to enjoy safer riding times.

It has other meanings calling from the past regarding the working man and how my parents raised us in the ethics of being good workers and holding down meaningful jobs.  I am proud to be of blue collar roots.

 I wish Labor Day got more than the little to no respect that it does.

[The emperor has no clothes]

 I wish Labor Day got more than the little to no respect that it does.

Ditto 

[John Schmidt]

I'm personally rather fond of Saturnalia...

Yeah, reminds me of some of the office parties my coworkers had. They were held about the same time of the month of Dec. so maybe that's what they were celebrating. Attendance was more or less required, so I would show up with my own drink in a thermos or similar(you didn't want to drink anything that was furnished) and engage in conversation while observing. Some of the quiet and demur types really let their hair down at those parties, I'd stay for an hour or two so my presence was noted, then leave. It usually didn't take long for attendees to sorta pair off and disappear for a time. Not my cup of tea but one year a young new female employee was being harassed by some of the others so I invited her to come sit near me but in a separate chair. Later she wanted me to take her home because her date was dead drunk. I called her a cab because that little move could have ruined my career.

[Jess from VA]

John, when I went on active duty soon after Christmas (at Maxwell AFB AL), I got the former claim's officer's office, and became the new claims officer.  And a bunch of big file cabinets full of closed and ongoing claims.  In reviewing my new workload, in the back of one of the cabinets was stuffed a pair of women's panties.  I thought this was strange, since the former claims officer was a guy (and they still didn't allow any gender bending back in those days).

I had already learned the the best way to find things out was to ask the senior NCOs, and they told me the capt had a reputation for providing all kinds of legal and other services to females (other than his wife). 

Office Christmas parties (with or without alcohol, or panties) were a good way to lose your judgment and your job.