jdlewis76's blog

the hassle of holidays

            As you are most certainly aware, Sunday was Mother’s Day, the day ostensibly set aside to honor our mothers. Well … I submit to you that by falling a mere three months after Valentine’s Day and not even two months after Easter, Mother’s Day is actually just another commercial nightmare designed to sell cards, candy, flowers, and overpriced meals in sit-down restaurants. Father’s Day is pretty much the same thing, only it’s more expensive with power tools replacing the flowers and candy.

            Are these so-called holidays really necessary? You may recall the Old Testament admonition to honor thy father and thy mother. As far as I’m concerned, that means every day, not twice a year. Even if you are not of the Christian or Jewish persuasion, it’s still a good rule of thumb that should appeal to your sense of moral obligation.

            With that in mind, let’s see how else we might clear the calendar. Federal holidays are the worst. Between the federal government and the state and local governments who take advantage, millions of dollars in taxpayer money are wasted at time and a half. There should only be three federally-recognized holidays: Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas ... for obvious reasons.

            In January, we could knock out New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. New Year’s is just another day. By the time it gets to us, it’s over in Australia. Some people may need it to recover from New Year’s Eve, but that’s nothing a little self-control won’t cure. And no doubt Dr. King was a great American, but he certainly wasn’t the only one. Even George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have had their individual days relegated into President’s Day, which also honors such notables as Andrew Johnson, Warren G. Harding, and Jimmy Carter.

            Memorial Day was created to honor those who gave their lives in the Civil War.  Veterans Day honors all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. It seems like we could roll Memorial Day into Veterans Day. And why not roll Veterans Day into Independence Day? Coming from a family that includes many veterans, I think it would be great to honor those who fought and died for our independence in 1776, as well as honor those who have fought to preserve our freedoms ever since.

            Prior to its creation in 1894, there were already 104 Labor Days every year. They were called Saturday and Sunday. I know some people have to work on Saturday and Sunday. I did for years. I’ve even worked on Christmas, so that argument won’t sway me. And then there’s Columbus Day. He discovered the Dominican Republic, not the United States, and if it hadn’t been him, someone still would have gotten here eventually.

            Now for the non-federal holidays. Easter as we now know it is a travesty. Try as I might, I have been unable to wrap my mind around the connection between rabbits and chocolate eggs and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

            Valentine’s Day and Halloween are two of the worst money-making schemes ever. Valentine candy goes on sale the day after Christmas, and Halloween candy is up sometime in late summer. Talk about squeezing blood out of a turnip. Like Mother’s and Father’s Days, the idea behind Valentine’s Day — love — should be practiced every day, not once a year; and Halloween … what’s that saying about a billion Red Chinese?

            Many of these days also include gift-giving, another marketing ploy. Giving gifts is fine for children, but, with the exception of one nice gift at Christmas, I find the concept of adult gift-giving completely unnecessary. Worse still, some adults actually expect you to get them something on these holidays, and will have their lips poked out if you don’t come through. Throw in birthdays, and this can get to be an expensive habit. If a nice card and the thought behind it isn’t enough, then you don’t even deserve that.

            In the face of rising food and fuel prices, the government has been throwing out a lot of empty promises. If they really want to give consumers some much-needed relief, they can start by wiping the calendar clean.

            And that’s all I have to say about that.