Every time fall holiday season comes around,
I’m forced to see an abundance of candy everywhere. At the store. In decorative
baskets at my family and friends’ places. In the media. And, unfortunately, on
my desk in front of me at work when I need a midday pick me up.
The thing is, candy never used to define this
time of year. Rather, vegetables and the harvest season dominated the minds of
people in the western world when October would be near. That’s why you still
see remnants of the harvest in decorations and props at holiday parties and
house art. To be honest, my favorite sort of decor around this time of year are
those that focus more on the harvest aspect than anything “spooky” or candy
related.
I get it, though. Especially in America,
capitalism drives more than just the economy. It affects culture as we know it,
to the point that everything is up for sale and everything needs advertised. No
wonder candy boxes are pushed in our faces during holidays. Heck, they’re
around during Valentine’s and Easter, too. It seems candy companies and
marketers know how much Americans will shell out for candy boxes and other
sweet treats when holidays come around, as if people will want to treat
themselves for the sake of eating sugary snacks around the holidays.
I’m not one to buy into the hype of it all
since I like to look at holidays for their historical significance and how they
intertwine with our culture and the culture of others. With that said, it’s a
bit hard to celebrate it as such when such a vast majority have their own ideas
of how it “should be” celebrated in America: typically with lots of candy to
give to kids when they ring your doorbell and costumes that resemble monsters
or pop culture references.
No matter what, though, no one should give up
on how they prefer to celebrate a holiday or time of year. If you stick to what
makes sense to you and what makes you happy, that’s all that should matter. And
rather than try to coax friends or family into celebrating how you do, it’s
best to find a community or group of friends who see eye to eye with you.
You’ll always be surprised to the types of communities that are out there,
especially when frequenting forums on the internet. Just because you may be a
marginalized or minority group doesn’t mean you have to be alone. There’s
solidarity in all corners of the world. It just takes a little looking to find
your people that like to take part in the things you like.
