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DPChallenge Forums >> Rant >> Gotta get this off my chest
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02/23/2013 01:15:01 AM · #1
Ok, admittedly I am biased on this subject as I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I was looking through some of the entries in the Valentine challenge and just listening to people I work with and I can't figure out why people single out this holiday to complain about the commerialization of it?

Many people say it's a man made holiday and we shouldn't need it to tell someone we love them. I agree!
But why do we need a reason to give someone a gift? (Christmas)
Why do we need a reason to have family over for dinner? (Thanksgiving)
Why do we need a reason (if you believe so) to comtemplate what Jesus did for us? (Easter/Christmas)
Why do we need a reason to tell our parents we love and respect them? (Mothers/Fathers Day)

ok, I'm done. PLEASE don't turn this into a religious debate....Plenty of those threads.
02/23/2013 01:31:21 AM · #2
Sometimes people don't do those things enough.....or not at all. Whilst the commercialization of the events annoys me, if it reminds even one person to say 'I love you' or to actualy think about someone other than themselves, than in my eyes it's worth it.

The increase in prices just because of the events is a whole other story, better left to another thread.
02/23/2013 05:55:30 AM · #3
From my experience people don't just single out Valentines Day. Everyone seems to complain about Christmas being too commercialised or Easter being an excuse for chocolate companies to sell chocolate eggs.
02/23/2013 08:37:28 AM · #4
All holidays are commercialized. However I think love is different. If you are trying to get someone to love you its a great holiday, the rest of us, I know I do, hate feeling that we need to buy expensive gifts or worse, overpriced flowers to show how much we love someone.

The others holidays are more about tradition. Valentines day is a show.

02/23/2013 09:43:36 AM · #5
I can't speak for anyone else, but I honestly do try to make those in my environment feel special every day of the year.

As for those commercialized holidays, I don't celebrate any of them and the people in my environment know that I haven't celebrated any of them for approximately 40 years now and have no problems with me in that respect.

Regarding religious holidays, they have not been part of my life for quite some time, but when I did celebrate them, they were exactly that... religious.

I am saddened to think that some would equate love with the amount one spends on material things... it does cheapen the intent in my view.

Ray
02/23/2013 11:31:23 AM · #6
Originally posted by rooum:

From my experience people don't just single out Valentines Day. Everyone seems to complain about Christmas being too commercialised ...

From AN EVENING (WASTED) WITH TOM LEHRER (1959)

3. A Christmas Carol

One very familiar type of song is the Christmas carol .... It's always seemed to me, after all, that Christmas, with its spirit of giving, offers us all a wonderful opportunity each year to reflect on what we all most sincerely and deeply believe in - I refer, of course, to money. And yet, none of the Christmas carols that you hear on the radio, or in the street, even attempts to capture the true spirit of Christmas as we celebrate it in the United States, that is to say the commercial spirit. So I should like to offer the following Christmas carol for next year as being perhaps a bit more appropriate.

Christmas time is here, by golly,
Disapproval would be folly.
Deck the halls with hunks of holly,
Fill the cup and don't say when.

Kill the turkeys, ducks and chickens,
Mix the punch, drag out the Dickens.
Even though the prospect sickens,
Brother, here we go again.

On Christmas Day you can't get sore,
Your fellow man you must adore.
There's time to rob him all the more
The other three hundred and sixty-four.

Relations, sparing no expense, 'll
Send some useless old utensil,
Or a matching pen and pencil.
("Just the thing I need, how nice!")

It doesn't matter how sincere it is,
Nor how heart felt the spirit,
Sentiment will not endear it,
What's important is the price.

Hark, the Herald Tribune sings,
Advertising wondrous things.
God rest ye merry merchants,
May ye make the Yuletide pay.
Angels we have heard on high,
Tell us to go out and buy!

So, let the raucous sleigh bells jingle,
Hail our dear old friend Kris Kringle,
Driving his reindeer across the sky.
Don't stand underneath when they fly by.

Actually, I did rather well myself this past Christmas. The nicest present I received was a gift certificate good at any hospital for a lobotomy...
02/25/2013 10:47:09 AM · #7
Originally posted by smardaz:

Ok, admittedly I am biased on this subject as I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I was looking through some of the entries in the Valentine challenge and just listening to people I work with and I can't figure out why people single out this holiday to complain about the commerialization of it?

Many people say it's a man made holiday and we shouldn't need it to tell someone we love them. I agree!
But why do we need a reason to give someone a gift? (Christmas)
Why do we need a reason to have family over for dinner? (Thanksgiving)
Why do we need a reason (if you believe so) to comtemplate what Jesus did for us? (Easter/Christmas)
Why do we need a reason to tell our parents we love and respect them? (Mothers/Fathers Day)

ok, I'm done. PLEASE don't turn this into a religious debate....Plenty of those threads.


Thanksgiving, mother's day, and Father's Day are man made holiday.

I think all of these holidays comes from us Catholics. Just about every day is attributed to a Saint. And just to make sure we cover all the Saints, we have "All Saint's Day" too. (BTW, there's an unofficial holiday before All Saint's Day called All Hollow's Eve.)

Also, Christmas isn't about presents.
02/25/2013 11:25:34 AM · #8
Originally posted by Nullix:

(BTW, there's an unofficial holiday before All Saint's Day called All Hollow's Eve.)

That'd be All Hallow's Eve, what most people have shortened to "Halloween"...
02/25/2013 12:44:54 PM · #9
Originally posted by Nullix:

Thanksgiving, mother's day, and Father's Day are man made holiday.

As are Presidents' Day, various birthdays, Memorial Day, Veterans' Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July, April Fool's Day ... (I'm only trying list US holidays)
02/25/2013 01:15:37 PM · #10
Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by Nullix:

Thanksgiving, mother's day, and Father's Day are man made holiday.

As are Presidents' Day, various birthdays, Memorial Day, Veterans' Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July, April Fool's Day ... (I'm only trying list US holidays)


Actually all holidays are man-made. They are just random days (in a lot of cases) chosen by the government or religious groups to celebrate something or other and give (some but not all) people a day off from work. The Jesus of the bible wasn't born on Christmas. The Easter bunny and Santa are purely for the fun of children and those child like enough to still enjoy it. And the whole world has been "commercialized", so what's the problem.

Message edited by author 2013-02-25 13:16:34.
02/25/2013 01:31:04 PM · #11
Originally posted by Kelli:

And the whole world has been "commercialized", so what's the problem.


the problem is when people start feeling unappreciated when they get neglected because someone doesn't buy into the commercialization aspect of it.
02/25/2013 01:45:00 PM · #12
Originally posted by mike_311:

Originally posted by Kelli:

And the whole world has been "commercialized", so what's the problem.


the problem is when people start feeling unappreciated when they get neglected because someone doesn't buy into the commercialization aspect of it.


I've been with my husband for 30 years. The first 6 years were without kids so we did all the exchanging of personal gifts, etc. Then when I had our daughter we agreed to stop and all future holidays revolved around her (and then my son when he came along). But you need to talk to the people in your life and tell them what you're about. Then there won't be hurt feelings. It really should be as simple as that.
02/25/2013 03:38:03 PM · #13
Originally posted by Kelli:

I've been with my husband for 30 years. The first 6 years were without kids so we did all the exchanging of personal gifts, etc. Then when I had our daughter we agreed to stop and all future holidays revolved around her (and then my son when he came along). But you need to talk to the people in your life and tell them what you're about. Then there won't be hurt feelings. It really should be as simple as that.


Since we're religious, we didn't want to got the Santa Claus/Easter Bunny route, so we just told them up front about it. We also ask that they don't share with other kids incase their parents are into Santa Claus/Easter Bunnies.

I realized this when my kids got into school, without religion, Christmas becomes a very consumeristic holiday.

BTW, anyone actually celebrate or realize Christmas is 12 days long? Hence the 12 days of Christmas. This year, I shocked someone when I wished them a Merry Christmas in January. I pointed out the 12 days of Christmas are real and not just a song.
02/25/2013 04:07:26 PM · #14
Originally posted by Nullix:

BTW, anyone actually celebrate or realize Christmas is 12 days long? Hence the 12 days of Christmas. This year, I shocked someone when I wished them a Merry Christmas in January. I pointed out the 12 days of Christmas are real and not just a song.

Plus some Orthodox congregations actually place Christmas in January (I think ignoring the shift from the Julian to Gregorian calendars) ...

I think when some were referring to "man-made holidays" them meant those with no religious underpinnings at all ...
02/25/2013 04:48:05 PM · #15
if i don't get the day off from work it isn't a real holiday.
02/25/2013 05:38:17 PM · #16
What bothers me (and makes me complain more about Valentine's Day) is the upping of prices for the event.

That doesn't happen on the other "holidays"... in fact, there are usually sales for the other events... Like "Black Friday" sales for *Christ*mas.

I do know that there is commercialism on every one of the days you mentioned... but at least they don't triple up the price of ties on Father's Day. *rolleyes*
02/25/2013 05:44:42 PM · #17
Originally posted by LydiaToo:

What bothers me (and makes me complain more about Valentine's Day) is the upping of prices for the event.

That doesn't happen on the other "holidays"... in fact, there are usually sales for the other events... Like "Black Friday" sales for *Christ*mas.

I do know that there is commercialism on every one of the days you mentioned... but at least they don't triple up the price of ties on Father's Day. *rolleyes*


honestly, that's the big reason i started a boycott against it. i cant justify spend over $50 for roses that will die in a few days and don't even get me stated on the price of cards.

02/25/2013 07:56:17 PM · #18
I've never had a valentine on Valentine's Day so it isn't a problem at all! :-)
02/26/2013 05:30:06 AM · #19
Originally posted by LydiaToo:



I do know that there is commercialism on every one of the days you mentioned... but at least they don't triple up the price of ties on Father's Day. *rolleyes*


Oh yeah... just what daddy wanted for father's day, another stupid ugly tie that he likely will never wear.

Ray
02/26/2013 07:14:21 AM · #20
i think the tie thing is a myth. i've had 23 father's days so far with 3 kids and have yet to get one :)
02/26/2013 10:32:15 AM · #21
Originally posted by mike_311:

honestly, that's the big reason i started a boycott against it. i cant justify spend over $50 for roses that will die in a few days and don't even get me stated on the price of cards.


If I want to stay married or at least have a better day, I shell out the $5.99 for a card to the $50 for roses.
02/26/2013 01:52:56 PM · #22
Originally posted by mike_311:

honestly, that's the big reason i started a boycott against it. i cant justify spend over $50 for roses that will die in a few days and don't even get me stated on the price of cards.


Originally posted by Nullix:

If I want to stay married or at least have a better day, I shell out the $5.99 for a card to the $50 for roses.

I buy flowers for special occasions like Tuesday, or because the sun is shining......that really makes life nice.

F*ck Valentine's Day! I have never bought a rose on Valentine's Day in my life and never will.
02/26/2013 02:38:01 PM · #23
yes, they are much move appreciated when they aren't expected. I don't mind the normal prices but i refuse to pay the jacked up costs.
02/26/2013 02:52:30 PM · #24
I won't get into it about Valentine's Day specifically, but....sometimes people just need a day that's special. It's human nature.

The worst boss I ever had was a Jehovah's Witness, because he would do things like calling me at 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve with a work question that could easily wait until the 26th. It was annoying as hell. I quickly learned to turn my work phone off when I left for a holiday, and not even think of listening to messages until 8:30 on the morning I returned.
02/26/2013 02:56:39 PM · #25
Originally posted by Ann:

...he would do things like calling me at 10:30 pm on Christmas Eve with a work question that could easily wait until the 26th....

I know that type of person! It's called a jackass!
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