Holiday Traditions

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.