Happy Memorial Day, a day to spend time with your family outside and have a giant barbecue. Well, when you put it that way, it sounds kind of weird. I guess the disfiguration of this holiday isn't much weirder than most others, when you think about it. What did we do to earn gifts on Christ's birthday, or his resurrection? No one on Earth right now is the messiah -- that's kind of the point -- yet we're rewarded as if we were. We weren't the ones who kept that oil lamp going for eight days, or overcame slavery in Egypt, yet here we are, eating chocolate coins or everything in sight. So why not celebrate and mourn the lives of lost soldiers with a barbecue?
How did pine trees come to be a symbol of Christmas? In what way does a bunny represent Christ rising from the dead? Why do we starve ourselves for days on end as a way of celebrating emancipation? Yes, because of commercialization. But also because we want to remember.
I could go on for hours talking about how much money businesses make by exploiting holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentine's Day. I could go on about how most holidays are basically just excuses to eat and give/receive presents. But have you ever wondered, not why businesses began commercializing holidays, but why it caught on?
Why do people buy into all the commercialization? Well, what would we do without it? Of course, there are plenty of people who recognize the holidays wholeheartedly, and in the terms of their respective religions. But that doesn't account for most of the population; what about the Catholics who don't necessarily go to church every Sunday, and the equivalent of this in every other religion?
There's no problem with being wholeheartedly invested in a religion, or with not really being involved in it at all. However, without commercialization, the ones who aren't as invested would maybe think about the significance of the holiday in passing, and that would be it. In this way, commercialization benefits the holiday and the religion. It draws people into the hype of the holiday. Even if you've never been to church a day in your life, why would you want to pass up the opportunity to decorate a tree and your entire house, or drive around your neighborhood when everyone's lights are up? We all know Santa Claus isn't related to the actual meaning of Christmas, but he sure gets people excited for the holiday.
So, this Memorial Day, let's keep the core values of the holiday in sight. Let's remember our fallen soldiers. Let's mourn them, but also celebrate the time when they were alive. Let's keep the ones who are fighting now in mind, too, and wish for them all to come home safely. But don't feel like you're ruining the holiday by having a barbecue with your family. Chances are, it's going to be gorgeous weather, so go enjoy that time outside. Pass on whatever tradition your family might have for the holiday. Keep giving something to remember.
