Reply #12: Before I retired...

[ninkasi]

I worked in a large office, most of us were women, and all of us, by the time I left, had been there a long time. We were black, white, latina,several different faiths, a couple of lesbians, married, divorced, widowed, just a lot of different backgrounds. We solved the problem of holidays, ANY holidays, by celebrating with great enthusiasm whichever holiday rolled around. We had food, we had speeches, one Cinco de Mayo we had a great pair of dancers in traditional Mexican costumes...we celebrated Juneteenth, Martin Luther King Day, and for some of the Cajuns, we celebrated Bastille Day.

Whether it was a legal holiday or not, we celebrated whatever there was to celebrate, because we had known each other a long time, we loved to eat, and we loved any excuse to have a festive atmosphere. It was great. A few people who worked for the same company, but transferred in from other offices, couldn't believe the spirit of unity we had. I believe the secret is to respect other people's beliefs, and to join in the spirit of celebrating whatever life has to offer.

There are too many sad occasions, and too much trouble in the world, to add to it by arguing over how to CELEBRATE things. You do it by respecting it, and joining in, if possible. Personally, I enjoyed it, and thought it was great.