Thanks to those who reschedule

I’ve spent the majority of my adult life celebrating holidays on days other than the actual date.
Work schedules, travel problems, health issues — all have conspired in one way or another to force a rescheduling of everything from Christmas to Memorial Day.
I’ve even celebrated the Fourth of July on a different day. That’s kind of depressing, when you think about it.
I mean, the date marked for the celebration is literally in the informal name of the holiday.
Spending 17 years at a large daily newspaper will do that to you. News doesn’t stop. It doesn’t take a day off. Neither does the staff that reports it, prints it or distributes it.
I’ve been in a newsroom for nearly every Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Labor Day (which actually seems fitting) and Independence Day for the better part of three decades. The only time I was ever off for a holiday was the rare time it fell on one of my regular days off and I didn’t have to cover for someone. Since my days off were Tuesday and Wednesday, those were few and far between.
Even my birthday — has fallen victim to rescheduling. I’m not sure if that makes me older or younger than I actually am, but I hope it’s the latter.
The first year I hadn’t worked on Christmas in 17 years was in 2017, just six years ago. I didn’t know what to do with myself. A year later, I had to reschedule Christmas again, but this time it was for a good reason, a visit from my oldest stepdaughter.
That year, I didn’t mind so much. See, holidays are a time for family and friends to gather together, celebrate, argue, catch up or just enjoy each other’s company.

Sure, there’s a specific date set aside, but that’s not the important part.
Who cares if you give thanks on a Friday instead of a Thursday?
Does it matter if you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Two days later? Or even two days earlier? No. Because the day isn’t as important as the reason. That goes for every holiday, whether it’s Christmas, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving or any other holiday.
Granted, celebrating Halloween on a different day will get you a few odd looks, and most religious holidays are only observed on Sundays — Easter Tuesday anyone? Ash Thursday? It’s not a church holiday, but does Vendredi Gras sound right to you? — but for the most part, it doesn’t make a bit of difference.
For that, I’m glad.
There are plenty of other people who work while the rest of us are off work, stuffing our faces, trying not to blow off our fingers and unwrapping socks and new pajamas. Soldiers far from home, nurses and doctors, police, firemen and countless others who make sacrifices — people who keep us safe, heal our hurts and keep things running while we celebrate. To them, I say “Thank you!” and encourage everyone else to do the same.
To the rest of you, I say “Merry Christmas!” — even if sometimes it’s a bit late.
Now, who’s ready for the Sixth of July?
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Robert Cox is publisher of the Perry County Republic-Monitor. His email is RMPublisher63@gmail.com.