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HomeCommentaryHolidays are what you make them

Holidays are what you make them

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I do now. As a kid I wasn’t allowed to, my family thought (rightly so) that the holiday had some origins they didn’t agree with. But I think honestly most of our American holidays aren’t what we think they are (Easter equals pagan fertility festivals plus Christian resurrection, Columbus Day/Thanksgiving equals being grateful for our blessings plus remembering the colonial takeover of land that didn’t belong to them by people who killed thousands of previous inhabitants, etc.)

I think holidays are what you make them. Yes, some Halloween traditions have origins in occult practices, but that’s not what it’s about now — it’s getting together with friends, having an abundance of wine and good food, going crazy at Value Village to find the perfect set of claws for a Wolverine costume and that’s all.

Elizabeth Backstrom
Elizabeth Backstrom
Elizabeth Backstrom majored in journalism at Western Washington University and currently works as remotely as a grant writer. Her background is in news writing and features, but if an overabundance of caffeine is consumed, she has been known to write a humor piece or two. Backstrom attended various Christian churches growing up in Washington State and in her free time enjoys reading about history, religion and politics.

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Diane Kipp
Diane Kipp
11 years ago

Well said, Elizabeth

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