Major holidays in America, boy, there are so many. Well, just thinking about it makes me smile. Christmas, probably the best holiday of the year in my opinion. Virtually every family sits around and eats and gives away presents. Everyone always seems so happy on this day as the kids are opening a gift they wanted all year, or the tech guy, like me, is opening the new favourite gadget, or, the grandmother is getting a brand new dress.

Christmas is a nationally recognized holiday each year on December 25th. While some Americans only celebrate this holiday as a time of giving, most Christian Americans will celebrate this as a time that Jesus Christ came as our saviour.

Another major holiday would have to be Thanksgiving. This is the day that citizens of the United States gather with their families for a time of great feasting. The traditional meal includes Turkey. With turkey you will usually find things like mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and lots of dessert to go around afterwards! Thanksgiving is held each year on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, I will be eating plenty of Turkey on November 27th, 2008.

Oh boy, Independence Day, one of my favourites. Independence Day is a federal holiday in celebration of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 from Great Britain. This is probably one of the most important national holidays in existence although many people overlook it as just a time to party. Granted, partying is never a bad thing in my book.

By tradition, Americans will sit outside with kids with adult supervision play with fireworks, or, this is what I did when I was kid. Since this has obviously been seen as dangerous, causing injuries and lots of fires, people have decided it would be best to watch professionals do the work. My family will typically go to a local lake or college where pyrotechnic professionals put on huge displays for the public. There is nothing like watching a beautiful finally in a fireworks display.

Okay, you can not forget Halloween. Although Halloween is not celebrated by every family, most Christian families simply view this is a time to eat candy. If you have not figured it out yet, Americans love to eat! When I was a kid I remember going to a local neighbourhood where closes were close together so that we could quickly run from house to house, knock on the door.The custom is for them to give you a piece of candy to put in your bag. I still do this with my kids, but unfortunately I have to be selective on which houses and neighbourhoods we go to as some people feel the need to do stupid things into the candy. Each year, this holiday is held on October 31st. I look forward to getting my favourite this year, tootsie rolls!