Ain't no party like a daily party...

Every party has a pooper, and that pooper is usually me.

I'm the guy who would rather hide in the basement playing Halo after Thanksgiving dinner than sitting around the table sharing the things that make me grateful. I used to spend Christmas day at the theater instead of hanging out with the family. Once family functions reach a certain headcount, my natural inclination is to disappear. That makes my wife sad.

For the seven years that we've been married, there is one big thing that comes up as a difference between us: holidays. She lives for holidays and family get-togethers. I loathe them.

With kids in the home, the ability to sneak off and bury my nose in a book or catch up on reruns of LOST while the rest of the family socializes is becoming less of an option. Unless I want my kids to need counselling when they become adults.

My wife's dream is to make holidays and birthdays special events in our home filled with magic and heartfelt traditions. She wants our kids to look back at those days with fondness. I want to help make that happen.

Unfortunately, that is not an easy proposition. I am not a party animal. And while I can be extroverted and entertaining, I lack a knack for the festive. And I can't just bring out a happy face because it's the Labor Day, or because it's my son's birthday.

If I am to become the celebratory person I need to be, it's going to take some practice. Now, I'm starting to see celebration as a discipline. (And by discipline, I'm not intending to describe parties as some sort of awkward punishment. A discipline is a practice, a routine, forming a habit for the sole purpose of perfecting a skill.)

Meet Tom Morello. Grammy winning musician and one of the hardest working guitarists in the music industry. How he became the accomplished player his is today is a great lesson in discipline. While enrolled at Harvard - working toward his BA in Political Science - he was developing his music dexterity. He had played throughout high school, performing in a couple bands, but he knew he needed to be a better player if he was to have a career in music. So he practiced. And he made it a point to practice every day. He'd go to his classes, study, and play his guitar. Not only did he practice on a daily basis, he practiced for eight hours each day. The habits he created as a college student is apparent when you watch him play. He is inventive and skillful in ways that outshines his peers.

If you want to become good at anything, you have to practice. It has to be a part of your daily routine.

And that's why we're here. Starting May 1st, I will be making celebration a part of my daily routine. I will be spending 365 days in celebration. And by the end of it, I may be an expert party person. Maybe not. A year from now, I might only be a happier version of myself.

But I'm inviting you to come along for the ride. Celebrate with me. From my mother-in-law's birthday to Talk Like a Pirate Day. Through Jewish traditions to the liturgical calendar. In and out of four seasons and 365 reasons to say today is a good day.

Warning, I'm not jumping in with both feet. I had to dip my toes in and test the waters. I've been practicing a bit this month. If you want to see how progress is there, I've posted a preview on my primary blog. You can read it HERE.

Come back May 1st and we'll be going with reckless abandon. And we'll be partying like it's 1999.