Unholy holidays
Washington Post columnist Kevin Huffman thinks it’s time to put the kibosh on Valentine’s Day. Here’s why and here’s how:
Back in my high school days, students could order Valentine’s carnations for their love interests. The flowers were delivered with great fanfare in homeroom to the usual suspects (“Who, me? What a wonderful surprise!”). And all day long, couples toted around their precious flowers, while the rest of us carried the scent of rejection.
Of course, most of the lingering injustices of high school disappear as we march into adulthood. Unless you’re single on Valentine’s Day. From the floral deliveries in the office to the restaurants filled with couples, Valentine’s Day is like living in a John Hughes movie, a day-long ordeal of sitting in the bleachers watching the slow-dance.
Despite its sorry record and utter failure as a romantic vehicle, getting rid of Valentine’s Day is easier said than done. Much like the health-care system, Valentine’s Day has a large corporate constituency and a small group of ardent supporters. Still, I believe we owe it to future generations to try. My proposal: Let’s merge it with Presidents’ Day. Nobody gets fired up for P-Day any more, so let’s just have P-and-V-Day. Eventually, nobody will remember the purpose, and we all can enjoy a relaxing day off, free from unrealistic expectations and disillusionment — and FedEx deliveries of teddy bears in leather jackets.
Not to be rude, but this seems to say a lot more about some high school issues Huffman still needs to resolve than it does about the worth of a holiday. Of all the holiday debates, Valentine’s seems the most innocuous.
Is it mostly an industry ploy? Probably, but so are Mother’s Day and Father’s day, and those seem tolerable.
Is Valentine’s Day competing with some other more important celebration? Probably not.
Do high school Valentine’s Day activities arbitrarily exclude some students? Maybe, but I seem to remember everyone trading those little candy hearts–whether they shared a romantic link or not.
The emotional burdens imposed by Valentine’s Day on the single may be worth considering, especially because there are few spiritual or social goods associated with Valentine’s Day. But P and V Day just sounds stupid.
-Sam
Related posts:
- Religious Holidays for Everyone!
- Paid religious holidays
- Won’t somebody think of the children?
- The wall
ShareComments
Leave a Reply
