What makes a holiday? I wonder why St. Patrick’s Day warrants aisles of green decorations, dying of rivers and its own section of greeting cards. Who decides what is merchandised and what isn’t?
I think about International Women’s Day that garners a few targeted advertisements and a host of social media posts, but for the most part, is unnoticed. Groundhog Day is designated on most calendars, yet Inauguration Day isn’t. Halloween merits its own stores but Patriot Day has low recognition. The Post Office doesn’t deliver on President’s Day but hasn’t found a way to get an extra day off for Easter.
There seems like many holidays are being driven by commercialization rather than meaning. Why does the United States put more emphasis on St. Patrick than Lewis and Clark, Rosa Parks or Paul Revere?
As you eat your green donuts, enjoy your cabbage or drink your green beer today, take a moment to recognize how easy it is to turn something into a holiday. Use that energy to commemorate another day that is worth celebrating on its merits, not just on its merchandising.
