Oh, the joys of the holidays!

The traditions.

These are moments in a person’s life closer to their heart than Monday’s or Tuesday’s of the working week. These are the days we get to have things our way. We define holidays, jobs define weekdays. These are the days we share with the people we love and the people have to get along with. Holidays are ripe with writing material.

You can write about the traditions your parents gave to you that they created or were given by their parents. How many generations has this been going on? What new traditions have you created? What are the moments that fill your heart and make your eyes leak? 

It doesn’t have to be Christmas. Maybe you’re one of those people that spend 100 or more hours decorating your house for Halloween. No judgement. That’s what make you special and unique. Write about it. 

Personally, I could write 50 pages about the tastes of Thanksgiving and Christmas, the portability of Father’s Day, the compelling reasons to celebrate birthdays for an entire week, never going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day and the never-ending joys of Groundhog Day.

Share the shape and color of your heart on holidays. Let your grandchildren know which ones you really love and those that are overrated. Get specific on the details. About how fun firecrackers where at nine years old or how your wife’s aunt made a Polish potato salad that rocked your world. 

Write about the people you were glad you saw on holidays and the people you could have done without. Why did you want Aunt Sally to be there and found every minute with Uncle Raul like fingers on a chalkboard. How Christmas has all the stress of buying presents and Thanksgiving has days and days of football.