How to Avoid Celebrating National Days and Other Events

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Tell your friends and family that you respect their interest in the day or event.

   Tell them that you are as disinterested in the day or event as they are interested in it and to respect that equally.
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   Step 2: Be polite

   Tell others that you appreciate them asking but that you have "other plans". , People don't want to hear that.
   
   On the whole, people purposefully seek out shallow, meaningless yet "fun" experiences to take away the drabness of everyday existence and to add a bright spot to an otherwise dull life.
   
   Putting a pin in that balloon won't make you any friends; keep your despair inside and tell the cat later. , If it's a day on which it's appropriate to wear national colors, make sure you don't accidentally do so; try for colors that are the total opposite. , Go hike the Adirondacks in New York State, or ski Whistler, British Columbia.
   
   There are a lot of other possibilities; just keep off the roads where traffic caused by an event is bound to be. , Avoid answering clearly about your attendance, especially where family and close friends are concerned.
   
   Be vague, be non-specific, and just don't be there on the day.
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   Step 3: but decline all invitations to celebratory events that hang off the national day.

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   Step 4: Avoid going into a big discussion about why you hate the day or wish the event would curl up and die.

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   Step 5: Avoid buying anything associated with the occasion.

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   Step 6: Plan in advance to be somewhere else

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   Step 7: if at all possible.

8. 8

   Step 8: Be non-committal when it comes to regular events.

Detailed Guide

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