{"id":14025,"date":"2026-11-01T01:21:35","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T05:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-i-celebrate-minor-holidays-and-how-you-can-use-them-to-boost-happiness\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T01:21:35","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T05:21:35","slug":"why-i-celebrate-minor-holidays-and-how-you-can-use-them-to-boost-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-i-celebrate-minor-holidays-and-how-you-can-use-them-to-boost-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Celebrate Minor Holidays (And How You Can Use Them to Boost Happiness)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of my favorite resolutions \u2014 and I write about it in my books The Happiness Project<\/strong><\/em><\/a> and Happier at Home<\/strong><\/em><\/a> \u2014 is to celebrate minor holidays<\/strong>. This resolution started as “Celebrate holiday breakfasts<\/a>,” but over time, I realized that that my real purpose was to find more occasions for levity.<\/p>\n

Celebrating minor holidays is fun, it’s low-stress, and it helps make memories.<\/p>\n

What is a minor holiday?<\/h2>\n

A minor holiday is any holiday that feels celebratory but not stressful \u2014 where you do something<\/em> to observe the day, but not much. Say, wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s fun, but not very hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of my favorite minor holidays is April Fools’ Day, because I love pranking my daughters. I baffled Eliza by freezing her bowl of Cheerios; I revolted Eleanor by dyeing the milk in the carton blue; I surprised them both when I put googly eyes on every container in the fridge. (My pranks have always had to take place at breakfast, so I got them done before school.)<\/p>\n

This year, because both my daughters were out of the house, I needed to figure out a prank I could pull off by texting.<\/p>\n

On April 1, at 10 a.m., I sent a message to Eliza, then Eleanor: \u201cA detective is going to call you. Just stay calm and tell the truth. It will be fine.\u201d I liked this idea so much that I pranked Jamie, too\u2014I tweaked my message for him: \u201cA detective is going to call you soon. But it\u2019s no big deal, don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within seconds, I got frantic texts back from Eliza and Eleanor and a phone call from Jamie.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m terrible at bluffing, so I immediately responded with \u201cApril Fools!\u201d \u201cI GOT GOT\u201d responded Eliza; Eleanor wrote \u201cWow. you got me. That was your best yet.\u201d Jamie replied, \u201cShe got us all.\u201d I\u2019ve been bragging about it ever since.<\/p>\n

Why celebrate minor holidays?<\/h2>\n

One of the main themes of my happiness project is memory<\/em>. Time passes quickly when every day feels the same. Celebrating minor holidays makes time stand out. Because the day is unusual, it\u2019s more memorable.<\/p>\n

Minor holidays also give us an occasion for whimsy \u2014 for silliness, for fun, for taking a break from routine. They give us an outlet for creativity with decorations, special treats, and costumes.<\/p>\n

Also, studies show that family traditions are important to happiness. Family rituals encourage children\u2019s social development and boost feelings of family cohesiveness by 17 percent. They help provide connection and predictability, which people \u2014 especially children \u2014 crave.<\/p>\n

The fact is, the major holidays can become a lot of work. It\u2019s nice to celebrate in a very manageable way.<\/p>\n

How to celebrate a minor holiday<\/h2>\n

One year, for Leap Day (February 29),\u00a0I took my daughters to Ripley’s Believe It or Not and to Dylan’s Candy Bar<\/strong><\/a>. As adventures go, it wasn\u2019t very ambitious. We barely left our neighborhood, and the entire outing lasted less than three hours. Still, it felt special, like a \u201ctreat.\u201d I know myself; I have to keep my resolutions manageable, or I can\u2019t keep them at all. One of my most important Secrets of Adulthood comes from Voltaire: Don\u2019t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.<\/p>\n

For me, Leap Day is a variation of Opposite Day. It’s a day when unexpected and crazy things can happen. I’m usually very focused on family members being ready for bed on time, and while I don’t enforce my own low-carb rules on my family<\/strong><\/a>, I usually don’t go out of my way to seek out high-sweets situations.<\/p>\n

But that’s the fun of Leap Day, and the thing that will make it memorable: It’s so different from what we usually do.<\/p>\n

For most minor holidays, I prepare a \u201choliday breakfast.\u201d I copied this idea from a friend after I saw how she\u2019d set her table for Valentine\u2019s Day. For instance, for Valentine\u2019s Day, I put out my special placemats and heart-shaped plates, scatter a few Sweethearts and Hershey\u2019s Kisses around the table, and dye the milk pink. For Halloween, I have special plates, special pumpkin candles, and I dye the peanut butter black. For birthdays, I have a special gold crown, a special candle, and a big banner.<\/p>\n

How to keep minor holiday traditions low-stress<\/h2>\n

Like most traditions, a holiday breakfast can be a bit of a pain. Some mornings, I don\u2019t feel much like pulling out the decorations and getting everything set up. But the preparations aren\u2019t very onerous, and it\u2019s a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

A few tips to make celebrating minor holidays easier:<\/p>\n