holiday dillema?

January 1

New Year's Day - the official start of the New Year.

Celebrated with big parades in New York City and Pasadena, California (the Rose Bowl Parade), preceded by parties, masquerade balls and and fireworks the preceding night at midnight, Dec. 31.

Official song: Auld Lang Syne

Symbols: noisemakers, party hats

Third Monday in January

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - commemorated in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the heroic civil rights leader assassinated in 1968.

Note: Most businesses stay open

February 14

Valentine's Day - a holiday celebrating love. Friends and couples exchange Valentine's Day cards, send flowers (a dozen red roses symbolize true love) and enjoy romantic dinners

Note: The government, banks and businesses stay open

Third Monday in February

Presidents' Day - commemorates Presidents George Washington, 1st President of the United States and commanding general of the US Revolutionary Army in the American Revolution; and President Abraham Lincoln, under whose leadership slavery was abolished in the South.

Note: Most businesses stay open

March 17

St. Patrick's Day - a Catholic holiday that has become celebrated by the mainstream. People wear the color green (in order not to be pinched), carouse at bars, and cities hold parades.

Symbols: shamrocks, leprechauns

Note: Not a federal holiday. Banks and businesses stay open.

Fourth Sunday in April

Easter - a Catholic holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ that has become a mainstream celebration. Parents hold pastel-colored "Easter egg" hunts for their children, while practicing Catholics attend church and families gather to have large Easter suppers.

Symbols: bunny, Easter egg

Colors: purple and yellow

Second Sunday in May

Mother's Day - mothers and grandmothers are honored with cards, gifts and special luncheons.

Last Monday in May

Memorial Day - American cities and towns hold solemn memorial services to pay respect to the men and women who have died in wars or in the service of their country. This day honors not only armed forces personnel but loved ones who have passed on. Families visit the cemetery and place flowers on gravestones.

June 14

Flag Day - People patriotically display American flags outside their homes.

Note: The government, banks and businesses stay open

Third Sunday in June

Father's Day - a holiday honoring American fathers and father figures, like stepfathers and grandfathers.

July 4th

Independence Day - a patriotic national federal holiday commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 that led to the American Revolution. The day is celebrated with fireworks, barbecue cookouts and baseball games.

First Monday in September

Labor Day - a holiday originally honoring American workers. Considered the last day of summer. Everyone takes the day of to enjoy a three-day weekend filled with picnics, barbecues, department store sales and going to the beach.

October 31st

Halloween - originally a pagan holiday, it has been modified in the US to become a playful children's holiday, where children carve pumpkins into "jack o' lanterns", bob for apples, dress up in costumes and go from house to house asking for candy from neighbors. "Trick or treat" is the greeting used. Adults, too, have costume parties.

Symbols: witch, black cat

Colors: Orange and Black

Note: The government, banks and businesses stay open

November 11

Veterans Day - originally set aside to commemorate Armistice Day, the end of World War 1. Today Americans honor the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War by attending ceremonies. Friends and relatives of the dead visiting the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., a long black wall which contains the names of every known US soldier who died in the war.

Fourth Thursday in November

Thanksgiving - originally celebrated by the first American colonists (Pilgrims) as a day of thanks for the first harvest in the New World in Plymouth, Massachusetts after a year of starvation. Families come together and partake of elaborate dinners featuring traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.

December 25

Christmas - a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, which has become a mainstream holiday for many. Americans celebrate by exchanging gifts and decorating their homes with Christmas trees, ornaments and wreaths. Catholics attend Christmas Mass.

Symbols: Christmas Tree, Santa Claus (a fat white-bearded man in a red suit who is said to come down the chimney at midnight bearing the gifts and placing them under the Christmas tree).

Colors: Green and Red

Note: On Christmas Eve, December 24, many businesses close early for the holiday. Some stores even close the night before.

December 31

New Year' Eve - in the evening, people in cities and towns gather for large street celebrations and fireworks. At midnight there is a countdown to New Year's Eve. Millions gather in Times Square to see a large metallic ball "drop", producing spectacular lighting effects.