The Underdog Holiday

It’s here at last! Today is Groundhog Day!!

You might be familiar with this holiday. Maybe you know all about the large 20 lb creature that emerges from the ground and predicts the weather every year. Maybe you saw the movie with Bill Murray. If you recognize the name Punxsutawney Phil, you probably fall into the upper echelons of less than 10% of the population. Still though, you might be surprised to learn that Groundhog Day is my own personal holiday, assigned to me in first grade by Mrs. Hatcheck.

For first grade assembly everyone was assigned a holiday that they would step forward and talk about on stage when our day came. We all knew Stephanie, with her annoyingly adorable long curly hair would get Christmas, but that didnt stop us from holding out hope for the coveted holiday of holidays. As they read the assignment’s at the beginning of the year, at least we weren’t poor Howard who got stuck with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

When they called my name and assigned Groundhog Day, maybe it wasn’t my first choice, but it sparked a life long love for this unusual holiday. It’s unique, a little odd, kind of funny and often overlooked. It’s basically the underdog of holidays! If Stephanie had only recognized it’s qualities, she probably would have stamped her cute patent leather shoes and pouted, leaving Christmas behind for someone else.

Now I am off to try to make a celebratory meatloaf for dinner and I’m going to try to get it into a ground rodent shape. I hope your 2012 Groundhog Day is the best one yet!! Be sure to catch the live webcast from Gobblers Knob in Pennsylvania.