May Day

Happy May Day!  This is one holiday I don't think we grew up celebrating, but recently we've been on the receiving end of some May Day tradition and I thought it might be fun to give back this year. 

So if you're not familiar, according to the always truthful (wink, wink) Wikipedia, the festivities came out of some pagan traditions and customs, something about a Norse god named Flora...  In England you'll find festivals and celebrations, even a few dances around the Maypole.  But here I've known the holiday as a time to bring a little cheer and beauty into friends' and neighbors' lives and you do that by delivering a "basket" of flowers to their doorstep, ringing the bell and running to hide as fast as you can.  Kind of like playing Ding Dong Ditch, but with a happy ending.

Emmy and London were excited about this so we made paper cone baskets and filled each with a pansy plant.

Our stash of baskets.

 The first family we visited were the Nordquists.  They had overheard our conversation at the bus stop so I don't think they were too surprised to find the flowers (their dog Zoe was excited though!)

Walking down the street on this glorious first day of May.

Some houses were a little more challenging - they had to go back 4 times to the Power's house next door before someone answered.

Run, run, run!!!

It was all worth it for me when Becky, our neighbor across the street, found hers and exclaimed, "It must be May Day!"  Then she kept calling out thanks so we had to come out of hiding and show ourselves.  She said she used to do the same when she was a girl and hadn't thought of the tradition in years.  Sometimes I like to think the neighbors are glad our little rambunctious family moved in across the street because despite the loud noises the kids make we at least deliver sweet surprises.