Today is known in the Christian liturgical year as Epiphany.  It is also referred to as the Twelfth Night, signifying the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas, when the lover gives someone “twelve drummers drumming” (what else are drummers going to do?). Boy is that a weird song! How would you like to be the recipient of all those birds, ladies, lords, drummers, etc? The five gold rings might not be so bad. But I digress.

This is also the end of what we refer to as the “Holiday Season.” That period of time that includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. (By the way, everyone’s outdoor lights should at least be turned off, if not taken down.) But why do we call this the “Holiday Season?” You would think that there were no more holidays to be celebrated until next year. But we all know that isn’t so.

We still have Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Groundhog Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day (now there’s a holiday I don’t understand, since Columbus didn’t even discover America), Halloween, and the list goes on.  In fact, the only month of the year that does not have a nationally recognized holiday is August.

There are 12 major Jewish Holidays during the year, two official Muslim Holidays (one that lasts a whole month), 8 Pagan Holidays known as Sabats, over 30 Hindu Holidays, 16 Buddhist Holidays, and countless international holidays.  It is difficult to count all the Christian holidays, festivals and holy days.

One of my favorite international holidays is Dia de los Muertos which is celebrated in Mexico. It is a three-day celebration of the dead. Families go to the cemetery where their loved ones are buried and celebrate their lives by communicating with them. There is food, drink, music, and skeletons. It is truly something to behold.

So, I guess my point is that the whole year could very well be called the “Holiday Season.” However, even with all these holidays available for us to celebrate, I would like to propose a few possibilities that have obviously been overlooked.

1. January 20 – We usually refer to this as inaugural day, but we could also call it “Yea! This President is Finally Leaving Day.” We would only celebrate this day every four years.

2.February 27 – This is the day back in 1951 when the 22nd Amendment limiting the Presidential term to two was added to the Constitution. We could call it “Two Strikes and You’re Out Day.”

Wow, I’m getting so political. Sorry about that. Now where was I?

3. July 20 – The date of the first moon landing in 1969. That seems fairly important.

4. January 6 – Earl Scruggs’ birthday. He was the greatest banjo picker of all time. (Did I mention that I’m learning to play the banjo?)

5. October 29 – The date of the Stock Market Crash in 1929. We could call it “Keep Your Cash in Your Mattress Day.”

6. September 27 – Albert Einstein published his papers on relativity in 1905. Where would we be without all the technology that has been generated as a result of this theory?

7. August 14 – For those of us who are considered “senior,” the Social Security Act of 1935 holds a special place in our hearts and wallets. We might call it “Old Geezer’s Day.” So, we would finally have a holiday in August, not to mention my birthday, which falls on the 16th.

So, with so many “official” holidays from which to choose and with all due respect to those who may take offense, I will spend all year long wishing everyone HAPPY HOLIDAYS!