Why I Won’t Be Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

I refuse to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. There. I said it. Let the masses come after me, but really…other than the consequence of being pinched for not wearing green, I have zero memories of St. Patrick’s Day as a child. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against shamrocks, the color green, the Irish or beer…certainly not the beer…but I just can’t fathom throwing another major holiday celebration into the mix.

I love a good reason to celebrate, I do. I adore decorating for parties and holidays, in fact, I’ve even started selling a variety of handmade party garlands. (You can find some here on my Instagram account.) I have so many ideas and so very little time. But, is it just me or does it seem like they all come at once? I swear after the Easter baskets have been rummaged through and all the eggs are found (well, maybe not all of them), I take a huge sigh of relief. Beyond the summer holidays that are so much more relaxed, we are free from gift giving and preparation of full on celebrations for at least 6 months!

There seems to be so much pressure to keep “the magic” of holidays alive, to create every idea that pops up on Pinterest, to satisfy everyone else’s needs and keep up traditions. Parents are responsible for so many things these days between the massive Easter baskets that will soon be plastered all over my Instagram feed and the shlepping of children to here, there and yonder to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas two months in a row, to new traditions like Valentine’s Day goodie bags instead of simple cards and Elf on the Shelf.  While these things can certainly be fun, there comes a point where it is all just too much. Pure excess and pure stress.

So, I am happy that my Pinterest feed is filled with all things spring instead of…well…whatever it is that people make to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. I am beyond thankful that there is not a St. Patrick’s Day stocking, or card, or gift basket that I need to come up with. In fact, I don’t have to do one solitary thing on St. Patrick’s Day. Except maybe drink a beer. And maybe just for that…I will whisper a “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” to myself come March 17th.

And please, let’s pledge to stick together and keep this holiday simple. Cheers!