Okay, with the hope of inspiring more content from moi, I'm starting a 'rant series.' My topic today is Hallmark Days (which is the term I choose to refer to holidays with little to no significance other than to generate revenue for gift vendors). I was chastised today for missing a recent holiday and it sent me into a fury which quickly rendered me unable to express why I felt it was a bit unfair.
Perhaps it's just me, but I feel that anniversaries and holidays are supposed to be days that truely stand out from the others. They usually indicate a day delegated to celebrate a particular virtue, theme, or value or they mark the anniversary of an event of importance. Wedding anniversaries, birthdays, anniversaries of historic importance, and religious holidays seem (for me) to fall into the catagory of days that have specific significance to the people who celebrate them.
However, at what point do we draw the line between days with obvious significance and days with a significance prescribed by people and entities with commercial interests in the buying and selling of gifts? Should such a line not be drawn for fear of seeming trite? I could name a few holidays that - in my opinion - only serve the purpose of feeding the spending machine that we have become (the color red comes to mind). However, I think the most constructive suggestion I could leave would be to consider the true importance of a holiday you wish to celebrate with loved ones. Ask yourself if it represents a value that deserves more than just a brief mention or if it only being remembered as a result of common ritual. In addition, ask yourself if you aren't better served in demonstrating your love for someone special in your life on a daily basis instead on just those marked on your calendar.