Part of me wants to ask what holiday are you talking about? It seems to me nowadays that as soon as one holiday is over, the next one takes over. As soon as the Back to School shelves are cleared in stores, Halloween takes over and the day after Halloween Christmas fills the aisles almost forgetting Thanksgiving. Then of course there is New Years, followed almost immediately by Valentines, St. Patricks Day, Easter, Mothers Day/Fathers Day, then 4th July.

I wish we could get back to a time when various holidays came slowly without exciting children, without commercialism, and without weeks of waiting. I feel children would be much happier not wishing their lives away. Life goes by much too quickly and forever looking and waiting with anticipation for something that is weeks or even months away makes children over-excited with the real possibility of anti-climax on The Day. Apart from the fact that most people spend more than they really want or can afford, putting themselves in debt, there is also the big problems of obesity and filling landfill with trash, plastic junk that can't be recycled and unnecessary paper in the recycling which will cause more problems at recycling centers.

One of the messages we should be learning about climate change is consumerism. The more junk that is manufactured, the more junk that has to be dealt with as trash.

I would like to see a return to simple holidays that arrive without fanfare, no sleep deprivation, no huge spending expectations and a lesson to our children that the really important things in life are what we have each day, not vague excitements for something too far ahead for them to imagine rather than an ability to enjoy today.

Resident - Thanks for commenting! Great point about not wanting our children to just wish their lives away always waiting for the next holiday. And that we need to teach them how to enjoy the present moment.

I like hearing about different “experiential gifts.” We always enjoy getting a family membership to a zoo, amusement park or museum. It’s not a gift wrapped under the tree, but it is enjoyed all year long.