The Hawken's National Holiday

Every great nation and culture has a special day set aside that is used to reflect upon and celebrate that groups unique vritues and contributions to the world.

In America we have the Fourth of July, Bangladesh has Victory Day (Dec. 16), and the Netherlands has Dodenherdenking (May 4).

Growing up in the Hawken home, however, no day quite reflected the households prevailing, fundamental values quite like April Fools Day.

Every year, near the end of March, I receive a letter from my mom containing a witty, handwritten note, and a small piece of wax paper.

The latter object is the result of a 22-year-old ongoing joke.

My knowledge of this joke, however, stretches back only seven years.

On the first of every April, when my mom packed by lunch, she would place a carefully sized piece of wax paper in my sandwich.

This April Fools joke had been passed on from her own mother and now it was finding new life annually in my lunchbox.

From kindergarten to high school, Mom was always sure to have a lunch ready for this most cunning of tricks.

But I never got the joke.

If you know what I mean.

I finally got to be in on the laughs when I called her in late March during my sophomore year of college while researching April Fools jokes to play on my roommates.

Her first suggestion was the old standby: "You should put wax paper in their sandwiches, like I always did with you."

"You never did that."

"Sure I did."

"There was nothing in any of those sandwiche..."

An awkward pause.

"What?! You mean you ATE IT?"

Yes, that was exactly what I meant.