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Posted by on May 28, 2013 in Andrew Rose, Featured, Pop Culture, Social | 0 comments

A Tribute To Memorial Day

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When I was very young, like many small children, my favorite holiday was Christmas. There were the obvious reasons – Santa Claus, Baby Jesus, presents under the tree – and the ones more dear to my own preferences as well – sledding, lasagna, and two weeks off from school. As I aged, Halloween slowly began to inherit the crown, starting with the mischief-infused nights of scrambling around my neighborhood in search of candy and places to spray shaving cream, then rising to prominence amongst the midweek parties and costumed shenanigans of college. Eventually my tastes and responsibilities evolved beyond the need to get rip-roaringly intoxicated on a Wednesday surrounded by sexy crayons and the like (although truth be told, my female friends were far more likely to dress up as Pootie Tang than to slut it up in mouse ears and a mini skirt), which put me in a sort of no man’s land in terms of having a favorite holiday. This wasn’t an existential crisis; not being able to pledge allegiance to a specific celebratory day didn’t exactly keep me up at night. But after looking back at the last handful of years of adulthood and analyzing priorities, pros, and cons, I’ve come to the realization that, as far as I’m concerned, Memorial Day is the most superior holiday on the calendar, for a few different reasons. Let’s discuss.

Reason #1: National Pride

Before we go any further examining the collateral benefits of a Monday off from work at the end of May, it’s important we acknowledge the reason this past weekend contained a holiday in the first place. Memorial Day exists as a time of remembrance for those who have fallen in the line of duty while serving and protecting our nation. One’s political affiliation or feelings regarding the government or foreign conflict intervention is irrelevant; the respect earned from donning a military uniform and sacrificing – at the very least,risking - everything to assist in the protection of the freedoms and luxuries of complete strangers cannot be understated. While this is certainly a somber occasion, in practice, we also celebrate the lives of those who have been fortunate enough to return home with parades, concerts, and waving flags. Many other countries have similar days and traditions, but the last Monday of May is uniquely American. Stars and stripes forever.

Reason #2: Barbecues

As Dave Chappelle’s Rick James might say, “It’s a celebration, bitches!” While many southern and western areas of the country are blessed by favorable weather a bit earlier in the year, Memorial Day marks the first time the entire contiguous 48 gets in on the grilling action together. Barbecues, in my opinion, are the optimal medium for social gatherings. They don’t come with the expectations and formality of a dinner party, or the potential for noise violations and excessive cleanup of an evening drinking party. There’s no ‘going out’ or spending a fortune on tickets or taxis or food. Instead, we get a low key, casual, inexpensive hangout session to enjoy one another’s company outdoors on a pleasant day. The smell of burgers and hot dogs on the grill, the taste of a cold beer, the sound of a friendly game of badminton devolving into competitive one-upmanship – these are a few of my favorite things. And Memorial Day provides the perfect vessel for a giant cookout kickoff.

Reason #3: As In, 3-Day Weekend

Sure, we’ll say “Happy Memorial Day” in the appropriate context, but when it comes to making plans, we discuss Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, most of us get three straight days of time off as the perfect opening to vacation season. I’ll miss Halloween parties or decide against going out on St. Patrick’s Day – hell, my wife and I just had Thanksgiving by ourselves this past year – but for some reason, I always jump on the opportunity to go somewhere this particular weekend. The beautiful thing is that there’s no societal limitations to where a vacation this time of year should occur; no Christmastime familial obligations or 4th of July fireworks-viewing locations dictating the where or the when of the celebration. Poconos, Deep Creek Lake, Sasquatch Music Festival – it doesn’t matter where I’m headed, once the workday ends on Friday I am ready to GTFO. Even if one decides to keep it local, the prospect of a staycation is still enough to get most folks out to a ballgame or on a day trip to the park. The last time the calendar gave us a built-in three-day weekend was Presidents’ Day, and chances are you weren’t heading up to the lake in mid-February. So we gas up the car and hit the road, ready for 72 hours of leisure (and of course, grilling).

Reason #4: Summer Is Coming

Other than its historical significance, the most important thing Memorial Day commemorates is, in conjunction with the start of vacation season, the beginning of the American summer. Depending what part of the country in which you reside, it may not have seemed like the weather actually cooperated with this notion these last few days, but generally speaking, this year has been an exception to the rule. The final weekend of May is one of sunshine and shades, an excuse for hanging out on the deck and breaking out the shorts. The days are getting longer and the nights are getting warmer. There are fireflies to be caught and campfires around which to be gathered. It’s summertime, and the living’s easy.

Whatever you were doing this past weekend, I hope you had fun. In fact, I’m sure you did. Winter is over. Summer is here. The charcoal’s on the grill. Happy Memorial Day.

Andrew Rose

About Andrew Rose

Andrew Rose is a writer and editor for Rookerville. He also manages a travel blog for his friends and family. His book, “Seizure Salad”, is a work of fiction - not in that it is a tale of fantasy, but in that it does not actually exist.

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