One of my favorite St. Patrick's Days was back in 1999 when we had a Japanese exchange student staying with us. You should have seen the look on his face as I pinned a green construction paper shamrock on him. There really is no good way to explain this tradition.
I remember frantically trying to find something green to wear on this day to school. When I was a kid, a lack of green on the 17th meant hard pinches all day long. In this nicer times, pinching is probably verboten.
This has me thinking about other holidays and traditions that seem to have gone by the wayside. I always loved the heart-pounding thrill of ringing a neighbor's doorbell and racing away before being spotted on May Day. That adrenaline rush was almost more fun than making the construction paper basket filled with flowers that we'd leave behind.
I would have described the look on his face as one degree south of "implacable" to be honest. But I'm sure you scarred him for life.
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