10. Valentine’s Day

Cherubs, heart-shaped candy, and little bow-and-arrows. What is there not to love about this national day of love? Being single and not liking chocolate, let’s just say Valentine’s Day is not my greatest day of the year.

At least Pusheen and I will always have pizza to love us.

Let's just move on to the next holiday...

9. New Year

New Year is a great time to look back on the previous year, and celebrate a bright future ahead of me. The thrill of New Year's Eve is always an exhilarating rush, but it’s all downhill from there. After the party and champagne wear off, however, the new year is nothing but breaking my own expectations.

8. Halloween

Again, I'm not a huge fan of chocolate, or any candy for that matter. But who isn't a fan of dressing up once a year? For one night a year, I can be anything that I want to be, and I think that that's just awesome. Halloween is the perfect excuse to go out on a weeknight, eat bad food, and only regret it slightly the next day.

7. Easter

Despite not being a fan of sweets, I am a fan of my religion and my family, so Easter makes the list at #7. Easter is a day to spend with the ones that I love, whether we're eating, playing ping-pong, or just being the jokesters that we are.

As for Pusheen, she just loves all the candy.

6. Mother’s Day

So much of who I am today is because of my amazing mother! Every year for Mother's Day would we eat the same brunch at the same restaurant when I was in high school. Now we still eat at that restaurant to keep up tradition, but it just has to be a few weeks later when I return home from college. Thankfully, she doesn't mind.

5. Memorial Day/The Fourth of July

Feel that breeze, Pusheen? That's freedom blowing through your whiskers. These two holidays, although different, are both about patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice. It's beautiful that our nation honors those who (in my opinion) deserve it the most. Without our members of the military throughout history and our founding fathers, the United States would not be the free and proud country that we are today.

I think Pusheen has some less intense perceptions of The Fourth, though. At least she enjoys the American flag, barbecues, eagles, and fireworks, as much as I do!

4. St. Patrick's Day

Being super Irish, I had to put St. Paddy's Day on this list, so it's here as #4. Wearing green, watching parades, and eating plenty of corned bee and cabbage is a perfect way to celebrate the luck of the Irish. Having a love of traditional Irish music also helps my love of this Americanized Irish festival. It is a day of pride for my family, whose ancestors immigrated from Ireland in search of a better life in America. Like most Irish New Englanders, however, they never lost their pride and fighting spirits, as you can see if you've ever met anyone from the Devanney family.

For those of you who do not share Irish roots with myself and Pusheen, she has five easy tips for anyone to enjoy this fun holiday!

3. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a beautiful holiday. Despite a troubling reality, the thought of the Pilgrims and Native Americans sitting down to share a meal is a beautiful fantasy that I wish to keep in my mind. Thanksgiving is about the beauty of enjoying what one has, and being thankful for as much as possible. Plus, there is also turkey and pie to consume!

2. My Birthday

Although not a technical holiday, what other day of year do I get to celebrate myself? I’m also going to throw my Adoption Day into this because I also receive presents and get to eat cake on that day as well. Humans by nature are somewhat vain creatures, so getting a single day (or two) to myself out of the 365 in a year isn’t such a bad deal. Plus, who doesn't want a good excuse for a party?

I think that Pusheen agrees with me.

1. Christmas

I love EVERYTHING about Christmas! The snow, the sledding, the shopping, the hot coco, and just the overall atmosphere of happiness and giving are all parts of what make Christmas the greatest season of all, much less day. Plus, all of the greatest songs and movies come from Christmas time. So do so many great traditions, such as baking and setting out cookies for Santa, as Pusheen will demonstrate:

Well, at least there are still presents, family, and food.

I honestly enjoy everything about presents: the shopping, the giving, the receiving, the wrapping, the unwrapping! It's a fun and rewarding experience all the way around. Just look at those little Pusheen legs move up there!

Every Christmas Eve, my family gets together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. With 14 aunts and uncles and over twenty cousins (I don't think anyone knows how many cousins there are anymore), it is a rare occasion that the majority of us can be in one room at the same time. Christmas is a time for us to catch up with those who live far away, share memories, and just be in good company.

Last but certainly is the food. The Devanney family loves to eat. My personal favorite Christmas dishes are stuffed shells, sausage and peppers, and anything homemade that I can get my hands on! At the end of the night, we end with a cake that has "Happy Birthday Jesus" written in frosting, and the youngest cousins get to blow out the candles. Although I can't blow out the candles anymore, it's still really fun watching the little ones enjoy the limelight as much as I did.

And to all a good night (or afternoon, or morning, or evening... Whatever it may be)!