re-blogged from Pinterest
People associate December with religious and spiritual holidays, like Yule, Hanukkah or Christmas. If you’re not in the holiday spirit and you don’t plan to be, I totally understand. I’m an advocate for creating your own holidays and traditions. You should celebrate whatever is meaningful to you, not just those days when the government says you can stay home from work.
Here’s a sampling of events that merit a little celebrating this week:
Dec. 5th – Walt Disney’s 110th birthday!!!
Esmeralda is the most bad-ass Disney vixen.
Look past the omnipresent media force his name now symbolizes and celebrate him for the creative entrepreneur he was. Disney also contributed time and money to CalArts, the California Institute of the Arts, helping thousands of creative students to live their dream.
Celebrate Walt Disney by watching your favourite animated movie or reflecting on characters who meant something to 7 year-old you. Mine include, Belle (the ONLY literate princess!) and Esmeralda, who I wanted to BE. I also have a soft spot for villans like Ursula, Maleficent and the Evil Queen from “Snow White.” For the record, “Fern Gully” is my favourite animated film, and even though it’s not a Disney production, it couldn’t exist without all of Walt Disney’s hard work.
Dec. 7th – Tom Waits’ 62nd birthday!
He's a smart, smart man.
I LOVE Tom Waits. LOVE HIM! Celebrate Tom by listening to his music all day and watching these videos:
Elizabeth Gilbert has a great Tom Waits story around the 12:30 mark:
Dec. 8th – Diego Rivera’s 125th birthday! Also, Jim Morrison’s 68th Birthday!
Diego Rivera, husband of the beautiful Frida Kahlo, is a legend in his own right. Diego is one of Mexico’s famed muralists, bringing art to the streets and celebrating the everyday people of Mexico. While I have a profound respect for Diego Rivera, I celebrate his birthday because I know Frida would have wanted it that way. Frida loved to host parties and she often threw elaborate fiestas in Diego’s honour.
Jim Morrison’s grave is one of the most visited sites in Piere Lachaise Cemetery but many pilgrims have trouble finding it. He was buried amoung the poets, instead of in the musicians section. My favourite Jim Morrison quote:
“Where’s your will to be weird?”
Dec. 9th – Jakob Dylan’s 42nd birthday!
Nineties rock music makes me recently-nostalgic and The Wallflowers are one of the best bands from waaay back then. Jakob Dylan is the lead singer of The Wallflowers and has recently made a name for himself as a folk singer-songwriter. I used to dream about marrying him and looking dreamily into his husky dog eyes for all eternity. Also, being Bob Dylan’s daughter-in-law would be awesome. Observe his talent:
Dec. 10th – Emily Dickinson’s 181st birthday!
One of only two portraits showing Emily Dickinson in adulthood.
We all know her, we all love her. She turned her back on societal norms, like marrying and having babies, in order to focus on her art. She was a true eccentric who was true to herself in a time when few women could be. My favourite Dickinson poem is about truth and beauty and a quiet moment between bodies in a tomb:
I Died for Beauty – Emily Dickinson
I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.
He questioned softly why I failed,
“For beauty,” I replied.
“And I for truth – the two are one;
We brethren are,” he said.
And so, as kinsmen met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
So, lovely creatures, when you’re cursing the heavens because there are no parking spots at the mall, remember that Christmas is just one day and that all days are equally worth celebrating.
