What would be the Mount Rushmore of American Holidays?
Side question: for those of you that have been to Mt. Rushmore, I have to ask: is it worth the trip? I am sure that it is a breathtaking sight. But it’s South Dakota location is a bit out of the way. It’s not quite as convenient as pulling off I-77 in southeastern Ohio while heading to Myrtle Beach to see the sign for this tourist attraction…
BIG MUSKIE BUCKET! I am gonna have to pull of the Caldwell exit and check it out sometime!
Back to our original question.
Christmas is a unanimous 1st ballot Hall of Famer. It’s in the George Washington slot. I don’t know of any other holidays that get 6 weeks of radio stations airplay.
Thanksgiving probably gets the #2 ranking. It’s scores high in three key categories:
* ‘mandatory extended family gathering’
*’eating experience’
*”televised sports available’
The last two spots for this Mt. Rushmore are a bit trickier to pick. Let’s look at their resumes:
Easter: The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes it the most important holiday in the Christian faith.
And of course, a rabbit delivers eggs. Who came up with that tradition? Why doesn’t a chicken deliver pickles or something?
Easter baskets, Easter Bonnets, Easter Egg hunts. The Master’s golf tournament is often on TV. Easter has a strong case.
Halloween: October 31st’s stock has been skyrocketing since the millennium. When I was a kid, it was pretty much a kid’s holiday. Costumes and Candy. But nowadays, it seems to have a much bigger appeal to adults. Maybe because recent generations have been raised on horror movies and shows of past (slasher movies) and present (The Walking Dead).
Fourth of July: the patriotism of celebrating our nation’s independence with cook-outs and fireworks is the showcase of summer. And it’s the one day of the year that you can dress like this…
Good to see you again, Captain America!
New Year’s Eve & Day: parties, the signature moment of the ball dropping at midnight, a traditional song that make’s no sense (Auld Lang Syne???). And wall-to-wall bowl games. The College Football play-off has this holiday trending upward.
And I missing anything else? I would say that Memorial, Mother’s, Father’s, and Valentine’s Days are a definite tier below. But there is one other day that deserves a look…
Super Bowl Sunday doesn’t get etched into any calendars that you buy. Who makes that decision? Calendars have Flag Day, Arbor Day, Columbus Day, even Canadian Thanksgiving Day. But no Super Bowl Sunday??? What a slap in the face!
Let’s put it through the eye test:
A. PRE-REQUISITE HOLIDAY REQUIREMENTS:
Pre-holiday hype: 9 out of 10. All it is missing is it’s own radio station of songs. We just need to come up with a few more songs to go with this one…
Mandatory family/friends party: 8 out of 10. I am sure many of you were at a party last Sunday.
Great eats: 9 out of 10. Super Bowl parties are made for awesome appetizers! And let’s convince ourselves that it’s all good for our health!
Must see sports TV: 12 out of 10. Does anything else come remotely close? The top 22 watched broadcasts of all time are Super Bowls.
Celebration of historic/religious event: 0 out of 10. Though the NFL can almost be called a religion in America. Disagree? Just ask this guy…
In addition to those scores, you can pad the resume with these highlights:
*Super Bowl Sunday is the Super Bowl of television commercials. I give this year’s crop an overall B+ grade. Snickers Brady Bunch one was my favorite.
*The half-time show fulfills the ‘Hollywood entertainment’ checklist. Katy Perry gets a B- this year. Her flame outfit and riding at the beginning were kinda puzzzling. A little too much Missy Elliot and too little Lenny Kravitz. The ‘Firework’ song was a great ending, though. Last year’s performance by Bruno Mars may have earned the “Greatest of All Time” label.
*Outside financial interests. I am guessing a few bucks are gambled on this day.
*Use of Roman numerals. Always adds class. It’s a good move for movie sequels as well. Not using them probably cost this Hollywood masterpiece an Academy Award…
Well, I hope you had a great XLIX Super Bowl holiday last Sunday. Al Michaels did another great job calling this game, which leads to my next Mt. Rushmore blog question…
Who are the top 4 sports announcers of all time?
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