1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to do something fun to celebrate little holidays. 4 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: Quirky traditions can help make memories, make people feel like 5 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: part of a group, and in general make life more enjoyable. 6 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: This episode is first airing on Halloween, which at least 7 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: in the US, has become a big day for kids 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: and adults alike. My four children picked out their costumes 9 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: earlier in the month. The elementary school kids will parade 10 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: around their school grounds. For parents who I learned this 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: after moving here, will all take a half day to 12 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: come watch. We'll go trick or treating tonight, picking up 13 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: candy from neighbors. My kids don't even have that much 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: interest in the candy after a week or so. It's 15 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: more just the fun of being out and about doing 16 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: something different than the usual teene of dinner, homework, and bed. 17 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: My heavy partying days are likely behind me, but from 18 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: what I hear, Halloween is also a big night at 19 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: the bars, with adults seizing the opportunity to dress up 20 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: creatively or subversively. Some of us stretch out the fun 21 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: by adding in festive holiday activities in our communities, such 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,759 Speaker 1: as a boo at the zoo or visits to pumpkin patches, 23 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:25,960 Speaker 1: and I like to throw in little things for the 24 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: day itself. For the past few years, I've made pumpkin 25 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: shaped pancakes on Halloween morning and attempted to die them orange. 26 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: So why do we do these things? Holidays and special 27 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: days in general are a big part of being human. 28 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: We like to celebrate. In particular, we like to celebrate 29 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: special days to gather as families and communities, and we 30 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: mark the passage of time by seeing holidays come and 31 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: go on the calendar. Again, that's true for all holidays, 32 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: but I think that minor holidays like Halloween or Valentine's 33 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 1: Day present particularly good opportunities to add a little happiness 34 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: to life. Part of the appeal is that they are minor. 35 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: Major religious holidays such as Christmas or Passover have millennia 36 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: of traditions behind them and thus produce a lot of 37 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: pressure to get it right. You are plugging into long 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: standing customs. There can be much joy in that. There 39 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: can also be a lot of seriousness unless space for 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: quirky approaches. Also, with the big holidays. Our calendars already 41 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: acknowledge them. Many offices closed around the Christmas holiday, or 42 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: there's an assumption that people will want it off. In 43 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: my school district, we always have Spring Break, the week 44 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: of Passover and Easter. Life already changes for these holidays. 45 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: The minor holidays, on the other hand, give us an 46 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: opportunity to take our normal lives and switch them up 47 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: a notch, usually with a focus on fun. Magazines don't 48 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: devote whole issue is to reducing Halloween stress or St. 49 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: Patrick's Day stress. You don't feel like you have to 50 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: do a whole lot, and so you voluntarily choose to 51 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: do little things. You celebrate at your regular office or school. 52 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: You take a regular Thursday and just make it more special. 53 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,399 Speaker 1: This creates memories and makes people feel like they're part 54 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: of something. So how should you celebrate minor holidays at 55 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: home in the office? First notice that they're coming up. 56 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: Choose two to three per year to focus on Halloween, 57 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day might be good choices, 58 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: but if you want to do Arbor Day, go for it. 59 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: And of course people listening to this in countries outside 60 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: the US have a whole host of other options from 61 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: their cultures for their minor holidays. Think about what you 62 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: could do to make them special personally. I'm a big 63 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: fan of celebrating at breakfast. I've made heart shaped pancakes 64 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: and four leaf clover shaped pancakes in addition to my 65 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: pumpkin ones. Even the morning's fruit can match the color 66 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: of the day. Maybe you bring in shamrocks shaped donuts 67 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: to your office or cater at pumpkins centered lunch. Halloween 68 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: lends itself to costumes, but dressing up in general can 69 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: be fun. Hence the green on St. Patrick's Day and 70 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: the various red and pink options I've supported on Valentine's Day. 71 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: And then maybe there's some other way you can mark 72 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: the occasion. I get my kids Valentine's Day cards with 73 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: a note saying how much I love them. We make 74 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: leprechn traps on St. Patrick's Day. The leprecn always escapes, 75 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: but he leaves rainbow colored or gold candy of some sort. 76 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,559 Speaker 1: In time, quirky traditions become part of a culture, whether 77 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: of a family or a workplace. We're the family that 78 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: has silly shaped pancakes on holidays. We're the office where 79 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: we eat beet salads and strawberries and red velvet cupcakes 80 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 1: on Valentine's Day. We are part of this together and 81 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: while we certainly hope identities are stronger than that, you're 82 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: also a family that really pulls together in an emerge 83 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: and see her. Maybe you're the most diverse department in 84 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: your company. There's no reason not to submit these identities 85 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: when we can. In time, they can actually become our 86 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: memories of the time we spent together. Oh yeah, I 87 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: remember my years at that company. I enjoyed them. We 88 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 1: had the silliest holiday lunches. So how will you celebrate 89 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: Halloween and other minor holidays this year? If you've got 90 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:27,919 Speaker 1: a quirky tradition as a family or an office, you 91 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,920 Speaker 1: can let me know about it at Before Breakfast Podcast 92 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: at iHeart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. 93 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 94 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 95 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 96 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,280 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 97 00:05:55,320 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number four than Breakfast 98 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email 99 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: at before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com that 100 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks 101 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before 102 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more 103 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 104 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.