Holidays Archives - View from the Front Porch

13 10, 2025

Why Christopher Columbus Day?

By judythemorgan|2025-10-05T15:08:50-05:00October 13th, 2025|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Fall has officially arrived, bringing a stretch of major holidays. The first being Columbus Day, celebrated on October 13 this year.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the second Monday in October, to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s landing in the Americas on October 12, 1492.

Made a U.S. federal holiday in 1937, interestingly, thirteen states—Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and

Wisconsin—don’t recognize the holiday.

Many Italian Americans celebrate their heritage, highlighting their contributions to U.S. history.

Fire Department trucks move along Fifth Avenue in the 75th Annual Columbus Day Parade, Manhattan. the largest celebration of Italian-American heritage and culture in the US — Photo by Sam Aronov

So, who is Christopher Columbus, and why is the holiday contested?

On this day in 1492, one of the sailors on the Pinta sighted land, an island in the Bahamas, after 10 weeks of sailing from Palos, Spain, with the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.

The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus believed he’d reached East Asia. He’d sighted Cuba and thought it was China. When the expedition landed on Hispaniola, he thought he’d found Japan.

His discovery introduced Europeans to the New World, which led to cultural exchange, commerce, and exploration, and eventually to the discovery of the real westward route to the Indies.

But Columbus Day and the man who inspired it also generate controversy. Many argue that Europeans got land, slaves, and gold, while the aboriginals were dispossessed, enslaved, and infected.

Protests of Columbus Day celebrations resulted in the creation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the 1990s to coincide with Columbus Day. Many honor the day and not Columbus.

Columbus Day reminds me of the jingle I had to learn for school:

Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.

I learned it’s only the first line of a 493-word poem by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr. Check out “The History of the U.S.” by Winifred Sackville Stoner if you want to review your US history.

Which will you celebrate today, Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day, or both?

I’ll be celebrating both, but most of all being thankful that my teacher never made me recite Stoner’s entire poem!

11 09, 2025

By judythemorgan|2025-09-11T08:21:01-05:00September 11th, 2025|Holidays, Writer's Life|1 Comment

Today is Patriot Day, the twenty-fourth anniversary of 9-11. The day we pause to honor and remember those who lost their lives.

It’s a bittersweet holiday for too many. One that triggers memories for many of us.

I can describe exactly where I was, what I was doing, and all those feelings stir again.

That morning, I was having a cup of tea and watching the Today show on NBC. Matt Lauer stopped his author interview mid-question, and the screen switched to a commercial break.

When the cameras returned, he and Katie Couric showed a replay of the first plane striking the first tower.

Then I stared in horror as the second plane hit the other tower in real time. I could not believe what I was seeing.

Fear and panic washed through my body. I was convinced our country was under enemy attack. Fighter jets flying overhead outside my Houston home only heightened my concern.

I made frantic calls to warn friends and family. My heart raced until everyone finally made it safely home.

Our nephew’s family lives in Battery Park, close to the World Trade Center. We’d walked over to the Towers for lunch when visiting them in the summer of 2001. Thankfully, he and his family were able to walk through thick clouds filled with debris and escape across the Hudson. His eyewitness account still sends chills down my spine.

As the day progressed and we learned of the attack on the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania, the horror and anxiety only increased.

The anniversary of 9-11 stirs my memories every year. I get through the day by remembering how our country came together and supported each other. I’m reminded of Charles R. Swindoll’s words:

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”

Next year, we plan to visit the Museum and Memorial to pay our respects in person.

The original broadcast of the 9-11-2001 Today Show can be seen here.

19 06, 2025

Are you celebrating Juneteenth?

By judythemorgan|2025-06-18T10:07:22-05:00June 19th, 2025|Holidays|1 Comment

Today is Juneteenth, short for “June Nineteenth.” Also known as “Jubilee Day,” “Black Independence Day,” and “Freedom Day.

It may be new to you if you’ve never lived in Texas.

Here, the day has been celebrated since June 19, 1865 — two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, when 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and enforce the emancipation of all enslaved people. Learn more about the history HERE.

Since that date, community gatherings filled with food, music, and fellowship have been held in Texas.

On June 17, 2021, President Biden’s proclamation made Juneteenth a federal holiday. Most national banks, the United States Postal Service, and all nonessential federal, state, and city government offices will be closed. Plus, the stock market will also be closed for the holiday.

How will you be celebrating?

26 05, 2025

Thoughts for Memorial Day 2025

By judythemorgan|2025-05-26T09:18:26-05:00May 26th, 2025|Holidays|0 Comments

Today is Memorial Day, the day when we recognize all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy.

It is a three-day weekend to honor and mourn those U.S. military personnel who knew the risks, accepted the odds, and marched onward anyway.

Memorial Day also signals the unofficial start of summer. Along with the hot dogs, hamburgers, and swimming associated with our celebrations, let’s ponder these quotes.

Then pause for a moment of silence to remember their sacrifices and the families who live without them.

• “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.” — Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

• “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

• “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” — Unknown

• “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy

17 03, 2025

Time to Celebrate St. Patrick

By judythemorgan|2025-03-16T10:06:03-05:00March 17th, 2025|Holidays|0 Comments

SOURCE: https://creativecommons.org

There’ll be parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green here in the United States, whether you have an Irish heritage or not.

Historically, the day was mostly a religious celebration in Ireland.

You wore your homemade St. Patrick’s Day badge or muddy shamrock you dug and went to Mass to sing Hail Glorious St. Patrick. Believe it or not, the pubs were closed on March 17 until the 1970s.

Nowadays, small local villages have parades and festivals with traditional music, sean nós singing and dancing, and a bit of horse racing. Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick have large parades.

One thing’s sure: you’d never ever hear the day called Patty’s Day or St. Pat’s Day in Ireland. It’s Paddy’s Day or St Patrick’s Day.

Did you know these other facts about the patron saint of Ireland?

He was not Irish but British.

Born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders as a teen. They took him to Ireland to work as a shepherd. He escaped and returned to Britain. He spent the next 15 or so years in a monastery, preparing for his missionary work. Pope Celestine I consecrated St. Patrick as Bishop of the Irish around 431.

He was never canonized by the Roman Catholic church.

During the Church’s first millennium, most saints received their title if they were martyrs or were counted to be extraordinarily holy. St. Patrick was the latter. He converted many from paganism and became known as the Apostle of Ireland and made the patron saint of the isle.

His familiarity with the Irish language and culture made the Irish receptive to his teachings because he took familiar Celtic symbols and Christianized them.

Many legends and symbols are attributed to St. Patrick.

He combined the Irish pagan symbol of the sun with the Christian cross, creating the Celtic cross, the icon of Ireland and Irish faith.

He explained the trinity to the Irish pagans with the shamrock’s three leaves. Though there’s no proof he ever did this, the shamrock metaphor remains strong in Irish Christianity.

Allegedly, when snakes attacked him during a 40-day fast, he chased them to the sea. Ireland doesn’t have snakes, so this is a total legend. More likely, he used snakes as a metaphor for the evil Druids and pagans.

He’s said to have climbed Croagh Patrick, County Mayo, and fasted at the summit for the forty days of Lent. True or not, thousands of pilgrims trek to Croagh Patrick’s top yearly.

I’ve climbed Croagh Patrick, but only to the statue, not the summit.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ort!

Happy St Patricks Day

13 02, 2025

Why Valentine’s Day?

By judythemorgan|2025-02-13T08:20:34-06:00February 13th, 2025|Holidays, Valentine's Day|3 Comments

February 14 is second only to Christmas for gift-giving and sweet treats. A day for romantic dinners and spending time with loved ones. Sending cards to those we love.

Where did the tradition begin? Historians can’t establish the exact origin but do trace how traditions have evolved over the years.

Earliest traditions

According to History.com, the holiday’s origin predates Christianity with the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia, a Roman festival of feasting and pairing off in partners celebrated in the middle of February.

During Lupercalia, the hide of a sacrificed goat would be cut into strips, dipped in blood, and slapped around women in the belief the ritual would make the women more fertile in the coming year. That festival was outlawed in the 5th century when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day.

Who was Saint Valentine?

The most accepted account of St. Valentine says he was a priest arrested for defying a Roman decree that forbade soldiers from marrying and then executed for continuing to wed lovers in secret.

The problem is, according to NPR, Emperor Claudius II of Rome executed two different men named Valentine on February 14 in two different years.

History.com contends St. Valentine was an imprisoned priest who fell in love with one of his visitors and wrote letters to her signing off with “From your Valentine.”

Both accounts have romantic undertones unfortunately neither can be officially verified.

Add in the fact that the Catholic Church recognizes multiple priests named Valentine, and all we can say with confidence is Valentine’s Day was named for a martyred priest.

From honoring a priest to current traditions

Jack B. Oruch, an English professor, says our modern-day traditions are thanks to the 14th-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who first associated St Valentine with romantic love. Oruch concluded that before Chaucer’s “The Parlement of Foules” and “The Complaint of Mars” there was no significant written record linking romantic tradition to St. Valentine’s Day.

By the mid-18th century, giving small tokens and handmade notes to friends and lovers on Valentine’s Day became common practice.

The Industrial Revolution of the 19^th century enabled printed Valentine’s Day cards. Then in 1913, Hallmark Cards began mass-producing Valentines, and the rest is history.

National Retail Federation predicts a record $27.5 billion will be spent on Valentine’s Day this year. The amount is up from last year’s $25.8 billion. Astonishing, isn’t it?

No fancy retail for our Valentine’s celebration around my house. A hug and an “I love you” say Happy Valentine’s Day the best.

What are your plans?

25 12, 2024

Happy Holiday!

By judythemorgan|2024-12-23T16:44:22-06:00December 25th, 2024|Christmas, Holidays|2 Comments

Popping in with our favorite Irish Christmas Blessing. Whatever you celebrate, Solstice, Hanukkah, or Christmas, Chicken Wrangler Sara and I hope you have a happy one!

Look for us back on a limited basis in the new year.

17 06, 2024

I Celebrate Three Fathers on Father’s Day

By judythemorgan|2024-06-14T15:19:52-05:00June 17th, 2024|Holidays, Writer's Life|0 Comments

For some celebrating Father’s Day might means a birth father. For others, it’s a stepfather or a relative or friend that serves the father’s role.

I’ve been blessed with three godly men who were notable examples of a father’s love, offering faith and wisdom and guidance along my way.

My daddy taught me how to fish, how to hunt, and how to dress out my bounty. He taught me how to build things, grow things, and cook around a campfire. He taught me raunchy songs and words as though a son, not a daughter, and then reminded me to always be a lady. =)

My second father was my beloved uncle who told me often he received word of my birth when he was on Ivo Jima. A Marine through and through, he taught me to shoot straight, with a firearm and with my words. He taught me the fun of antique auctions and old things. He showed unconditional love in the tough times and tough love when needed. He was a wise counselor.

I inherited my preacher father-in-love when I married his son. My third father shared his Bible wisdom and whetted my appetite for Bible study. Best of all he raised his only son to be a great husband and a godly father.

All three are gone so Father’s Day is a bit sad for me. Remembering them on their special day brings back fond memories and makes me smile.

As Holley Gerth says:

“One of the greatest blessings God can give us is a father whose faith passes on the heritage of the past, provides blessings in the present, and guides us with wisdom for the future.”

Do you have a father figure you count as a blessing? I’d love to hear about your daddy in the comments.

27 05, 2024

Memorial Day Tribute – A Moment to Remember

By judythemorgan|2024-05-23T09:09:04-05:00May 27th, 2024|Holidays|0 Comments

Today we honor those who knew the risks, who accepted the odds, and who marched onward anyway.

Those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Let us pause for a moment of silence at some point in our celebration of school’s out, summer’s here today, and remember their sacrifice.

24 05, 2024

Memorial Day Weekend

By judythemorgan|2024-05-23T09:13:24-05:00May 24th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Holidays|2 Comments

Hearing “Happy Memorial Day” greetings is hard for me. I understand we equate the weekend as the beginning of summer and that is a happy thing.

BUT Memorial Day is not about going to the beach or having a cookout.

Those things aren’t wrong. Not at all. I enjoy a hot dog or a hamburger with family and friends and celebrating what signals the start of summer same as anyone else.

I’m just saying that we should also remember why Memorial Day was originally set up.

Memorial Day is for all those soldiers who are gone but never forgotten.

If you are a military family, it’s a day filled with hard memories, not a carefree day. Even if you have no military connection, most likely you’ve lost friends who served. Memorial Day is a day to remember them.

The whole month of May is designated Military Appreciation Month which makes confusion understandable.

Armed Forces Day (May 18) and Veterans Day (November 11) give Americans a way to thank current service members. Thank you for your service, greetings are welcome.

Memorial Day honors those who have paid the ultimate price in service to our nation. If you know a Gold Star family, perhaps a Sorry for your loss is more appropriate than Happy Memorial Day.

This chart explains.

Sometime during this Memorial Day weekend why not stop for a minute to remember our fallen heroes?