Are Washington’s Holiday Traditions Changing?

Most holidays have traditionally been celebrated as family gatherings, while others have more of a friends vibe to them.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are viewed as days when immediate and extended family comes together to spend time over a meal.  Memorial Day, 4th of July, and New Year's Eve have a little more of a party feel to them with cookouts , fireworks, and adult beverages flowing.

That said, the west coast seems to be the part of the country where breaking traditions is more the norm.  Lifestyle and culture is much different in Washington, Oregon, and California than it is in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  When you hear about moving away from older traditions and creating new ones it tends to be more popular west of the Rockies than east of them.

I'm one of many who has lived on both coasts and can attest to the differences.  Growing up north of Philadelphia...tradition was big.  Holidays were family time and there was no getting out of it.  All of my blood relatives are still on the east coast, so when I moved to Washington State I had to adapt and adjust to no longer having family around for those holidays.

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I learned of a newer tradition that had been started by some friends who didn't spend the holidays with family, especially at Thanksgiving.  It was my first exposure to "Friendsgiving".  Friendsgiving is a 21st century creation, from where it came...no one can attest, but it has grown in popularity over the last decade.  So much so, that AirportParkingReservations.com did a study on where Friendsgiving was the most popular.

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It shouldn't come as a surprise that six of the top ten Friendsgiving are west of the Rockies.  What may surprise you is how many Washingtonians have eschewed family tradition for a more informal gathering.

The number one Friendsgiving state is Nevada.  Almost 40% of Nevadans prefer to celebrate with friends over family.  To be fair, over half of Las Vegas' population is transplanted from other areas.  It makes sense that a higher number of residents would be spending Thanksgiving with friends instead of family.

Washington State is a close second with 33% of folks deciding friends are better than family on November 28th.  It was around 10 years ago that I celebrated my first Friendsgiving here so I'm not surprised it ranks number two.

Oregon is fifth on the list at 26% and California is seventh at 23%.  California is the most populated state in the country with nearly 39 million people.  Almost one quarter of that (just under 9 million people) choose to hold or attend a Friendsgiving celebration.

The moral is this...you can't pick your relatives.  Blood relation is family in the genetic sense, but you can choose who you identify as your FAMILY.  I have friends that are as close as brothers and sisters and would count on them over almost anyone with whom I share blood.  I'm sure many other people feel the same way.

Create your own traditions, customs, and culture.  Spend the holidays with who you want and around those that will enhance your holiday experience and mood, not detract from it.  Above all, enjoy them as they are only a handful of the 365 days we have in a year...and can you really go wrong with a day filled with food and football?