Most of you know already that I hate all holidays, they are more depressing than festive. But I especially loathe the 'Bogus Holidays' or what some refer to as 'Hallmark Holidays'. These of course are the holidays that exist for no real reason except to attempt to force people to waste extra money for no reason except a 'holiday' told us to do it. The biggest of these atrocities of course is 'Valentine's Day', 'Mother's Day' and 'Father's Day', while some others are starting to getting more popular like Grandparent's Day and Secretary's Day (PC version 'administrative professionals day')

I absolutely despise these days, mostly because they attempt to force people to do things which they are already doing, only now if they don't go overboard on these specific days, they are made to feel like they are bad or evil for 'forgetting'.

If you need a holiday to force someone to tell you that they love and/or appreciate you, then there are some serious problems going on already, and forcing someone to do these things once a year is NOT going to help anyway.

For example I am a father, and my daughters tell me very often that they love me and show in many ways that they appreciate me. I DO NOT need a special day set aside where they feel that they are forced to have to express this sentiment in a more exaggerated way then they already do every day.


If you are one of those people who feels these holidays are needed because otherwise you don't get the 'appreciation' that you deserve. My guess is you do not 'deserve' the appreciation in the first place, and just because a holiday is forcing these people to placate your selfish desires, this does not mean in reality that they actually appreciate you, all it means is they are playing the game because for some reason if they don't everyone will think they are the bad guys instead of seeing the truth.

Instead of waiting for these bogus holidays to come around to receive that forced appreciation, why not do something so that you are truly appreciated through the whole year? It's actually very easy, and for those who still cant figure it out I'll give some tips.

If you are romantically involved, Treat your partner with respect, and by all means always tell them how much they mean to you and that you love them.

If you are a Mother or a Father, Be a MOM/DAD. This sounds simple but obviously many fail at this daily. Being a parent isn't just telling kids what to do and enforcing rules, it is also interacting with your kids, doing everything in your power to be as much a part of their life as you possibly can, and thinking of your kids first. None of us can pull all of these things off all the time, we are all human after all, but a serious attempt is actually more than enough to most kids.

If you are a Grandparent, be as involved in your grand kids life as possible. Don't be the stuffy old folks that thinks just because you are old you have to be treated like royalty. Be friendly with your grand kids and don't make them feel like they are underlings. They should be your chance to have fun once again.

If you are a Secretary (administrative professional), ok chances are you will have a boss who is an idiot and will never appreciate you. Remember you are getting paid to work already, and as long as you do your job as well as you can, sometimes keeping your job is sign that you are appreciated already. It is a job after all and expecting special treatment and gifts seems to imply a more personal relationship anyway, and if they don't appreciate you already, then do you really want a personal relationship with this person anyway?

Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes who adores these bogus holidays, just don't belittle and judge those of us who refuse to fall victim to these scams.