Now that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day are over, is there any celebration left in you? I hope so!

This day belongs to the Lord!
    Let’s celebrate
    and be glad today.

Psalm 118:24 (Contemporary English Version)

One of the many expressions my mom will be remembered for saying is, “It’s a holiday!” That usually meant that an unexpected change in daily routine would follow. Any day could be a cause for celebrating something!

Half birthdays are easy to celebrate, and young children like the milestone of being halfway to their next birthday! Moving from age 5 to 5 1/2 is a pretty big deal to a 5 1/2-year-old. All it takes to recognize the big day is a simple cake, cut in half and layered to make a stacked half cake. Push one candle farther into the cake so it’s half as tall as the rest, and …voila! It’s a half-birthday cake! If you want, you can sing “Happy Half-Birthday to You” or a variation where you sing only half of the words. Gifts are not part of the celebration, because recognition of the child’s big day is enough!

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Sports championships can be cause for a party. When the San Antonio Spurs made the NBA finals, the whole city celebrated. But it was hard for children to participate in the excitement when playoff games went late into the night. So in our house we created a tent in the corner of our living room. We suspended sheets and blankets with rope, clothespins, safety pins, and I’m not even sure what else. Inside the tent were the television, the couch, and piles of comfy pillows, blankets, and sleeping bags. We’d all gather inside the tent with popcorn, and when the girls’ eyelids started to droop, they’d snuggle down to sleep. Our family’s policy was that our living room was for living!

Find a reason to celebrate. Celebrate the end of a drought by playing in the rain. Celebrate the end of a long rainy spell by having a picnic. Celebrate Chinese New Year, Pi Day, a pet’s birthday, or any day.

This day belongs to the Lord! Let’s celebrate and be glad today. Psalm 118:24 (CEV)