A friend pointed out that if he knew what holiday you’re celebrating, he would say the appropriate thing, but that if he didn’t know if you were you were in the RamaKwanKahMas landscape, he would say “Happy Holidays” and expect you to say “Thank You” and not throw a hissy fit. Quite reasonable, so for the record, I celebrate the following:

Thanksgiving (American dates): though this year I may be skipping it and staying home with my sons.
December 7th: Officially it’s Pearl Harbor Day, but I celebrate it for completely different reasons. It’s a long personal story.
December 21st: Which I tend to think of as Winter Astronomy Day
Christmas Eve/Day: And while I’m a Christian, I tend not to do any church services, so it’s home with family, gifts, and a traditional pasta dinner. Hey, don’t mock my traditions.
Boxing Day: I don’t actually do the upstairs/downstairs role reversals of British lore, but it’s just such a cool name for a holiday, I can’t let it pass.
New Year’s Eve-squared: This is the night before New Year’s Eve, and it’s the night that pretty much every year I want to host a quiet little gathering of friends for movies and hot tub, but that I never quite get around to sending out the invitations for.
New Year’s Eve: It’s been a random mix of quiet reflection, reading with my wife, and going out for wild debauchery. There’s no tradition here, but whatever I end up doing that night, I tell myself I’m doing it with firm intent.
New Year’s Day: Standard day of resolutions, both making and breaking.
Epiphany: This begins the season of “I should really take the tree down.” It usually lasts until the start of Lent.

And that’s it for me. What holidays are you celebrating this season?

(And sorry for going dark this week… I’m in the final hump to finish the draft to Debts of My Fathers.)