Most people look forward to celebrating holidays. Holidays are special times when we gather with friends and family, exchange gifts and eat enormous meals. On certain holidays we decorate our home with special trinkets. For me, holidays mean a lot of extra work. I am usually the one who gets the honored responsibility of shopping for and preparing those big meals. I agonize over purchasing and wrapping gifts, decorating the house, sending out cards . . . the list goes on and on. My favorite holiday of the year is a no-fuss holiday, Mother's Day.

For this holiday, the pressure of purchasing a gift shifts to my husband. I comfortably sit at home and visualize him pulling out what's left of his hair while my 10-year-old and 6 -year old daughters drag him around the mall and try to decide on a suitable gift for me (which he knows if it is wrong, he shoulders the blame).

For the past five years, our family tradition for this honored day is a visit to Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mother's Day weekend is the opening weekend for the amusement park. The water amusements are not open yet, so the ticket prices are slightly less expensive. It is a plus any time you don't have to pay full price for an amusement park ticket--or put on a bathing suit! The lovely May weather is cool and pleasant and the crowds are small. I do prepare one meal for this holiday--a cooler bag filled with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and juice boxes for lunch. Now this is a holiday meal I can handle!

My girls go crazy for this day. They look forward to it as much as I do. The enormous smiles on their faces and the twinkle in their eyes, makes my heart sing. They excitedly scurry from ride to ride. Since there are no long lines, they can enjoy their favorite rides over and over again. My dad joins us for this special outing. Even in his 70's, he still enjoys riding the Tilt-O-Whirl, the Pirate Ship, the giant Ferris Wheel and more. By the time we leave, many hours later, we are all exhausted. We have only enough energy to stop at a fast food restaurant and gorge ourselves with greasy sandwiches, fries and caffeinated soda.

Some people wonder why I spend Mother's Day doing something my kids want to do. Why not savor a nice, quiet day being pampered at a spa instead of hanging out at a loud amusement park? Well, it's Mother's Day after all. If it weren't for those two kids who are screaming on the rides and fighting over the last bag of pink cotton candy, this holiday wouldn't be mine. I am a mother because of them. I can't think of any better way to celebrate this day than spending it with my family and relishing every moment of those giant smiles and joyous laughs. Hopefully some day I'll have the opportunity to enjoy this day with my girls when they are mothers. Maybe we'll even go to Dorney Park and I'll ride on the giant Ferris Wheel with my grandchildren. Although I'm not too sure about the Tilt-O-Whirl.