#Microblog Mondays 112: Frideswide Day
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This Wednesday is St. Frideswide’s feast day. We celebrate it as a family every year, usually doing something Alice-related or having a special meal or cake.
But this year, celebrating St. Frideswide Day on St. Frideswide Day isn’t really going to work. I can pull together scones for breakfast, but that’s pretty much it. A bunch of work projects are all due at the same time, so it would be really great if we could celebrate her life on Tuesday. Or Thursday. Sort of any day but that Wednesday. (Unless Hillary would like to reschedule the debate? Then we could tuck it into the evening hours.)
I feel weird celebrating a holiday not on the holiday, even though it’s a great solution to a common problem. Lots of people celebrate a holiday early or late so they can get people together or celebrate with two different groups, one after the other.
What do you think of celebrating holidays not on the actual day?
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| 1. | The Trump Vs Clinton Debate And Misogyny | 13. | Lori@ Laughing IS Conceivable | 25. | Empty Arms, Broken Heart |
| 2. | Fish Talk – Nabanita Dhar | 14. | Corinne Rodrigues | 26. | Who Shot Down My Stork? |
| 3. | Mali (No Kidding) | 15. | Upside of IF | 27. | Obsessivemom |
| 4. | Mali (A Separate Life) | 16. | Journeywoman | 28. | Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) |
| 5. | Kechara | 17. | Traci York | 29. | torthú il |
| 6. | Isabelle | 18. | Just Heather | 30. | Middle Girl |
| 7. | Modern Gypsy | 19. | Cyn K | 31. | Shail |
| 8. | Infertile Girl | 20. | Transition of Thoughts | 32. | Jamie |
| 9. | Loribeth (The Road Less Travelled) | 21. | Amber | 33. | Mary Francis |
| 10. | Cristy | 22. | Virgà nia | 34. | Karen (River Run Dry) |
| 11. | Wendy English | 23. | Jess | 35. | Baby Blue Sunday |
| 12. | Failing at Haiku | 24. | Uttley |
27 comments
You know I’m not much of a stickler for rules on all these things. I thing to celebrate is important and not the date or day. So, do what you feel like is what I’d say 🙂
I have a big family that is spread out, plus in laws. We regularly celebrate the major holidays on both the actual day and a second day in order to be able to be with everyone. For us that means multiple celebrations, and we are still celebrating on the actual day. That said, I believe celebrations are about the people you’re with and the love and camaraderie you feel, not the date.
I don’t know how I feel about celebrating holidays on a different day, I don’t think it would bother me. Though I’d probably just skip it all together. I don’t really have any holidays that are important to me. (It feels very weird to be talking about holidays – for me they are vacations!)
Though this week my husband and I are celebrating my birthday together a day later. Is rather do that than skip it altogether! Maybe that’s my answer.
How cool to read about the actual physical places that inspired Alice in Wonderland and other books. Growing up so far away I always assume it is a kingdom of the imagination, but not entirely so. Who knows when I’ll return to England, but what a lovely place to take our little AJ.
And it’s cool that you picked a saints day to honour this culture. What a good idea. I didn’t grow up celebrating holidays, at least not as a young child when impressions are strongest. So as an adult I can easily celebrate on a different day: feel little obligation to follow a ritual or be part of a communal celebration. I feel sone regret about this. But now you’ve got me thinking of other unconventional celebrations I could have 🙂
Working in healthcare, it’s pretty much inevitable that I spend a fair number of holidays at work and celebrating with family/friends on alternate days. It’s something my parents have always been good about. My MIL, however, is more attached to actual dates, which can create some moments at times. Most of the time I don’t mind (I did, after all, know the kinds of hours prior to getting into the field) although there have been a few that have been more of a challenge.
I’m all for flexibility.
One year a long time ago when I was living in Japan, I worked on Christmas Day. That felt really weird. I guess that’s when I figured I could flex things, and I’ve gotten better at it over the years.
I do like to celebrate on the day of, just feels more special that way. But then, there are very few festivals that I do celebrate, so that may be the reason why!
I am a bit of a traditionalist, but there are exceptions and times when one needs to show some flexibility. I’m thinking about the year my sister’s boyfriend got horribly sick on Christmas Eve, just before they were supposed to drive out from the city (about an hour). It was the first and thankfully only time our family has not been together on Christmas Eve, which is traditionally when we open our gifts. We had our usual Christmas Eve dinner but postponed the gift opening. By the next morning, the boyfriend was feeling slightly better, good enough that my sister felt she could leave him by himself, and so while my mother & I stuffed the turkey, my dad & dh drove into the city and picked her up and brought her home. So we opened our presents on Christmas Day afternoon (which is what a lot of people do anyway, I know) & had our usual turkey dinner that night.
Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October, but my parents will regularly have the big turkey dinner on Saturday or Sunday. Makes it easier when a lot of the people attending have to go to work on Monday morning.
This is coming from someone who didn’t celebrate her birthday on her birthday for the first 10 yrs (December 27 is too close to two major holidays). Even now, it’s not a big deal for me. Today we split the difference. The day is acknowledged, but if anyone wants to have a larger celebration (usually friends or people outside Grey and I) we do so at a later date.
My vote is scones for breakfast. 😉
Oops, I meant Tuesday/the next morning. 😉
It’s always a bummer when we feel like life is getting in the way of fun traditions, holidays and celebrations. Without them it’s just another day right? I say celebrate when you can. It’s worth the effort and will make whatever day you end up celebrating not just another day 🙂 enjoy!
My nephew and my youngest daughter are just a month apart in age and we always try to do some kind of joint celebration. With each family getting busier and busier and with them living in another state it’s always a challenge. Somehow we keep making it happen. They turned 14 this year and we had a blast at the joint celebration.
Given the nature of my work, celebrating on a different day became part of the norm. As long as the right people and feelings are there, I don’t care when we celebrate. This includes birthdays and holidays major & minor.
I agree. It feels bizarre to me too not to celebrate on the actual day. I’m okay celebrating birthdays or anniversaries on the actual day but having the major dinner or party on the closest weekend. In NY, 4th of July was always on the 4th of July and Halloween was always Oct 31 but since I moved to NC, I had to get used to both of them being celebrated within a week or two of the actual date. And then there are those Christmas parades that are nowhere near Christmas.
This year I had to celebrate my birthday on NOT my birthday due to egg retrieval and other family stuff. It was definitely weird, as I basically let the day pass without any celebration, but it ended up being certainly better than nothing.
I’m totally cool about things like this!
Had no clue about what Frideswide Day was and had to Google it to know more. Most interesting.
Enjoy your celebration. Not too sure about saying the same for the debate though. May the best woman win! 😉
Why not skip watching the debate and do it Wednesday evening? Surely you aren’t going to learn anything about either candidate in their third debate that’s going to sway your vote. 🙂
I’d prefer to celebrate on the right day. But then if something comes up unexpectedly I make do with the next available date 🙂
My mother was huge about celebrating things On. The. Day. Birthdays anniversaries. “Do you celebrate Christmas on December 27th?” she once asked my sister-in-law’s parents. When they said no, she asked “why not–it’s only two days later.” The point was made.
Me, I don’t mind celebrating birthdays later. But–high holidays, passover, those have a set day and I keep to them.
Hope your high holidays were good.
I used to be super-uptight about celebrating on the actual day, but over the years, I’ve gotten much more laid back about it. I think the intent is more important than the timing in most cases.
I’d never heard of Frideswide Day before! What a cool holiday. I am ALL FOR celebrating holidays on different days, to accommodate situations. We usually celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday with my family, because that’s when my sister comes into town, which allows us to have Thanksgiving just the two of us. Christmas is usually family on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, and we preserve the day itself for us. I think the spirit of the holiday is what’s important. 🙂
#MicroblogMondays is an awesome concept. Congrats on getting it rolling so well!
I definitely prefer celebrating holidays on the actual day. Since marrying my husband who is from out of state, we have celebrated Christmas on a different day since we all drive down to his parents. But I always celebrate with my own family on the day. I think it would be weird not to.
But then of course my husband and I almost always celebrate Valentine’s Day a different night since the restaurants are always crazy.
There’s a poem by Byrd Baylor called ‘I’m in charge of celebrations’ and I love that concept. It talks about celebrating the little things as and when YOU want and not per any calendar. I’d go with that thought. Though of course it would be weird to celebrate Christmas in June but killing yourself to meet a celebration deadline when you’re swamped with work doesn’t make sense. After all celebrations are supposed to be fun.
I don’t know…a Mad Hatter’s tea during the debate seems somehow appropriate.
I love celebrating holidays on the actual day, but that rarely happens anymore. My family has split a lot since my grandpa passed a few years back, and as all the grandkids get married and have their own kids, well it just doesn’t happen anymore. This year we are celebrating Christmas in January! We have Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws the weekend before, and they also celebrate Christmas with the extended family in January! I’ve had to adjust to holiday celebrations not being on the actual date. We always do something small with immediate family though.
As it happens (so far) it is often more feasible for us to celebrate those holidays we choose to celebrate on the actual days. But, I’m good either way. As has been said, “it’s the spirit” that counts.
It’s my 66th birthday at the end of this month, and I would love to celebrate it with all my family, but now we’re actually a clan, it’s not going to be so easy. The solution? I get to celebrate TWICE! On the day with Ray, my husband, then in a later date ( yet to be finalised, sometime before Christmas …) with everybody! Perfect.