In honor of Cinco de Mayo, a holiday largely adopted in the the US to sell tequila, pick the holidays you associate with drinking. This could be your own drinking holidays, or holidays you perceive to be drinking holidays as evidenced by the drinking by others.
If I have forgotten your favorite drinking holiday, please comment. I am aware that many of the days cited in the poll are not official holidays, and I know that Hanukkah is eight days long.
PTF
St. Patrick’s Day is pretty huge.
New Years Eve must be on the list
Seconding St Patrick’s Day, at least around here (Milwaukee). St Patrick’s day is the only time I’ve ever had to wait outside a bar because it was at capacity. I assume Chicago is pretty bad too.
I think St Patrick’s day is one of the days the Milwaukee County Buses run for free (donated by a large business) just to try to keep people off the road.
What if you associate every day with drinking?
Then just pick the days you reserve the good stuff for.
We have a long tradition of getting shitfaced for Easter Eve. The owner of a local restaurant introduced us to it. The restaurant shut down, but the tradition remains.
For me it’s typically been New Year’s Eve of course, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
As do we… at church (no, really - at the end of Easter Vigil, tables laden with food and wine are brought to the altar for feasting).
Also (non church drinking holidays), St. Patrick’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Superbowl Sunday, Cinco de Mayo, my birthday.
For me, it tends to break down like this:
Fall/winter holiday drinking- more like eggnog, punches and indoor spirits type drinking. Christmas, NYE, Thanksgiving Weekend. Alcohol seems to be a centerpiece to many holiday parties.
Summer picnic drinking (4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day) - usually less alcohol-centric and more like someone has cold beer in the cooler, as well as a variety of sodas, tea and bottled water as well. Somehow not really as intended as a get-drunk kind of thing.
What happened to Christmas Day? As a Briton, that’s when I did my formative drinking.
Yeah, I knew there were supposed to be thirty holidays, and one was missing, but I couldn’t find it.
Surprised Thanksgiving Eve has so few votes. I’ve always heard this is the biggest bar night of the year.
My first pick was Christmas Day, which you’ve left off.
I voted for New Year’s Eve but it’s probably tied with St. Patrick’s Day in my mind.
I quit drinking almost 2 years ago so I don’t have any more drinking days, holiday or otherwise…
[QUOTE=Joey P]
Seconding St Patrick’s Day, at least around here (Milwaukee). St Patrick’s day is the only time I’ve ever had to wait outside a bar because it was at capacity. I assume Chicago is pretty bad too.
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I grew up around Chicago. We called New Year’s Eve “Amateur Drinkers Night” knowing that the truly serious drinking took place when the Chicago River ran green.
Like the old joke about the seven seven days the Irish celebrate by drinking.
[spoiler]Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…
(BTW, I’m Irish-American.);)[/spoiler]
Yep. Bigger each year the past five or so.
First time I’ve heard that. I’ve always heard that it and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend are the two biggest driving days of the year. And as Graham Nash would say:
You who are on the road
must have a code
that you can live by
And if you’re taking the ‘live by’ part seriously, abstaining from drinking is an integral part of being on the road.
NYE, St. Pat’s, Mardi Gras, Hyperbole Sunday.
My parents used to have an annual New Year’s Day party that started mid to late afternoon, and alcohol was a big part of it. So I’ve always associated New Year’s Day with drinking too.
Derby Day? Sure, if you’re at Churchill Downs. Otherwise you might not even remember it’s happening.
Christmas Day in my family usually involves relatives and (local) driving, so again, not much drinking.
The rest? Off the radar for me as drinking days.
You forgot Victoria Day. The May 24 long weekend is a big drinking weekend in Canada.