Hating Holidays

In Anderson Cooper's book, "Dispatches from the Edge" which my freshman class read recently, Cooper talks about how he always hated New Year's Eve, because that is when his father died. So, when it was time to get festive on December 31, he wanted nothing to do with it.

I have always enjoyed holidays and this weekend had a great Thanksgiving, but there were several around me that didn't.

• A friend of my in-laws had a 50-year old son die in a hunting accident the previous weekend;
• A husband of one of our secretaries had his appendix burst on Wednesday, and is still not out of the hospital;
• The 34 year-old father of one of Cameron's kindergarten classmates suddenly died.

I imagine that from this point on, particularly for those who experienced a sudden death (and both of the deaths above were very sudden), Thanksgiving will forever be linked with painful memories.

Anderson Cooper said he volunteered to cover the ball dropping in Times Square just so he wouldn't have to do anything social on New Year's Eve. I imagine that holds true for many who experience a tragedy over a holiday and I doubt I'd be in much of celebratory mood either.