In America, there are nationally recognized holidays for nearly every scenario. Although holidays are usually meant to celebrate, commemorate or appreciate, we are much more likely as a society to blow exorbitant amounts of money on gifts, cards and specialized sales. Why are we so fixated on the idea that spending money during holidays that have strayed so far from their original meanings is the obligatory action to take?
I like referring to these acknowledged holidays as “Hallmark holidays” because one can search and find cards made by the well-known company Hallmark for any date explicitly documented on a calendar and even for the ones that are not. Although some holidays are notorious for raking in profits from gifts and otherwise, I would say that holidays are going to continue to become further commercialized as our society grows more attached to materialistic ideologies.
In honor of the recent passing of Valentine’s Day, I will start by saying that it is a holiday that has somewhat unclear origins. Although the date has to do with the Roman feast of Lupercalia celebrated from Feb. 13–15, the ancient Romans also executed two men by the name of Valentine on Feb. 14 in two different time periods. The men were honored as martyrs by the Catholic Church, stemming the celebration of Saint Valentine’s Day, according to an NPR article.
Obviously, the remembrance and celebration of Christian martyrs is not going to solely create an industry where profit is prevalent, so card companies, florists, candy companies, jewelry companies and many more have picked up the slack. The numbers say it all; according to a recent Business Insider article, “Consumers spend an average of $135.10 on Valentine’s Day gifts.”
Similarly, Christmas has turned into a holiday in which gift giving and spending money is far more important than spending time with family or Christians reflecting on the birth of Christ. As early as October, all kinds of stores decorate for Christmas, begin playing Christmas music, and start advertising deals consumers simply cannot refuse.
I actually really enjoy Christmastime, but I do believe that the commercialization of the holiday is continuing to develop. I don’t think there is anything wrong with buying gifts for the people you love for Christmas. I even take advantage of the numerous deals that arise. We are, however, responsible for the incredible commercialization of these holidays.
As much as people complain about the commercialization of holidays, I feel like we, as a society, expect to benefit from the effects of that commercialization. Here is some food for thought: Say it is Christmas and you wake up in the morning to find zero presents for you underneath the Christmas tree. How would you react? Would you be upset if you usually received gifts for Christmas and you suddenly were lacking those gifts? I think the thought process is really interesting in a situation such as that. Even I might be a little confused if this happened to me.
Although Christmas and Valentine’s Day are just two examples, so many of the holidays we celebrate and recognize today are extremely commercialized. They seem to be mainly about profit and giving only when receiving. I leave you with this: think of holidays and what they actually mean to you as an individual. We give millions of dollars to retail giants during holidays to buy gifts for other people, but are we actually just losing ourselves in the materialistic values of life?
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