My solution for relieving holiday stress

Is it just me, or does it seem like holidays—those things are meant to bring families together—only serve to tear families apart? Holidays bring on so much stress and too many decisions, along with feelings of guilt and frustration, often even before the holiday itself actually arrives. And then there are the dynamics surrounding the actual day the family members are all lodged into the same room.

My solution is to forgo the federal Thanksgiving holiday in favor of an individual family holiday. Why aren’t the Republicans in Congress fighting for this decentralized, practical solution for reliving holiday stress? If every family chose their own Thanksgiving day—say May 24 or February 3—think of all the pain it would end. Families still get a day set aside for feasts and gatherings. But everyone gets to choose a day that works best for them, a day two million other people are using to mow the lawn or get a manicure. Think about it. No young couple has to decide which in-laws to visit and no massive holiday traffic. And the best part? Your family is totally free to choose not to even have their own Thanksgiving day. Should you choose not to participate, no one will be the wiser. You can spend May 24 or February 3 like any other day of the year and people will think your Thanksgiving is on July 18. And of course businesses will get in on the action, giving everyone a floating “day after Thanksgiving holiday” to be used at their discretion. I’m going to write my congressman...