Holidays in America are great. On Thanksgiving, we give thanks to our loved ones. On Independence Day, we celebrate the birth of our great nation. I believe, however, that not all holidays were made equal.
Big-name companies never miss an opportunity to boost profits. Generally speaking, there's nothing wrong with that; in fact, that's how successful businesses are run. The problem as I see it, though, lies in the commercialization of holidays. It's a ploy utilized by companies to convince people that holidays are synonymous with spending money. On some holidays, these schemes are kind of ridiculous. On other ones, they're just downright offensive.
Exhibit A: Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a federal holiday that commemorates those who died while serving in the country's armed forces.This holiday is an especially solemn one, whereby families visit cemeteries and memorials of their fallen friends and loved ones. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
How, you ask, can such a grave day be marketed for huge sales? Since it's observed every year on the last Monday of May—and since it's a national holiday—everyone across the country has the day off. To some, this means making the difficult trip to the cemetery. For others, it means just enjoying a day off from work. Regardless, this entire weekend has been commercialized into a shopping spree simply because it's an annual long weekend. Personally, I feel like Memorial Day should be a day of thankfulness for those who died fighting for our freedom, and not one where people rush to find the best deals.
Exhibit B: Mother's Day
Mother's Day, very simply, is a celebration of one's mother. Most point to Anna Jarvis as the founder of this modern holiday; it was first celebrated in 1908 when she held a ceremony for her late mother in Grafton, West Virginia. Due to her fervent campaigning, all U.S. states observed the holiday by 1911. And, by 1914, Mother's Day became a federal holiday, celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.
That being said, Jarvis' efforts soon backfired on her. By the early 1920s, Hallmark began to market Mother's Day cards. Jarvis saw this commercialization as a distortion of what she had worked so tirelessly to build and felt so strongly that Mother's Day was about genuine love—and not financial gain—that she even attempted to get rid of it.
I bet you can hazard a guess as to who won that battle.
Exhibit C: Valentine's' Day
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, the lucky few among us get set to spoil their significant others. And I mean spoil; on average, people spend $150 annually on the Feb. 14. But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune. Make your "better half" a nice home-cooked meal to along with a thoughtful homemade card. Sometimes effort is just as noble as luxury.
