MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Aww you thought there was an emergency, didn’t you? Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just thrilled to be celebrating the first day of May, otherwise known as May Day to those fancy peeps across the pond. Not to be confused with today’s strikes for OWS, the holiday actually dates back to pre-christian, post-Neanderthal times with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers.  It’s normally honored with dancing, dining and the crowning of the May Queen that celebrates springtime fertility. But while the rest of the world will spend the day draping their bodies in daisies and prancing around in gardens, we ‘muricans will just cross it off our calendars, another day closer to the premiere of Men in Black 3. So this got me thinking – if this pretty little spring festival doesn’t get its due in the states, what does? Let’s take a (chronological) look shall we?

 

“May the Fourth Be With You” – According to Wookieepedia.com (no, seriously), the phrase dates back to at least 1979 on the day Meryl Streep Margaret Thatcher won the election that made her Britain’s first woman prime minster. To show their appreciation, her party took out an ad in the London Evening News that said “May the Fourth be with you, Maggie. Congratulations.” But while the day is no longer synonymous with the legendary Iron Lady, it doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about it. Quite the contrary! Nerds from here to Tatooine (damn you, Wookiepedia!) will break out the chips, dip and light sabers and kick back to watch the Star Wars saga from start to finish. Also – it’s fun to say. Quick, say it out loud, I’ll wait……………………. OK, did you do it? See? It’s so much fun!

Mother’s Day – Ah, Mother’s Day. Or the day my mom used to call the “I just want to exercise and not cook” day. (Hi Mom!) They birthed us, they raised us, they put up with us, and they definitely deserve a day to bask in the compliments and presents thrown upon them. From homemade cards to breakfast in bed (my standard was potted plants, as the Rydal Elementary School Flower Fair was perfectly timed to the second Sunday in May), Mother’s Day gives kids a chance to atone for their sins of messy rooms and half-done homework, and husbands to make up for not taking out the G-D trash with pretty, pretty jewels.  Potted plants are cool and all, but I’m pretty sure that when I’m a mom, all I’ll want is to go to the gym and have my hubby order in a pizza.

Memorial Day – hot dogs, nice weather, flip flops, sunscreen, chips and dip, beach trips, sunglasses, farmer tans, strawberry daiquiris, bike rides, sunscreen, chips and dip, parades, boat trips, other people’s socks and sandals, BBQs, sunburn, Men in Black 3, frozen yogurt, aloe vera, bathing suits cover-ups, shish-kabobs, floppy hats, melted ice cream sandwiches, fireworks, chips and dip, etc. etc. etc.

So OK, we’ve got some pretty nice traditions of our own in these here United States. And you know what else we have? The right to voice our choice! So tell us – what are you most looking forward to this month?

2^nd Annual Comedy Awards

“American Idol” Finale

Jessica Simpson to have her baby

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” Premiere