Originally Posted by clintjm (Post 785175)

Indeed.
Thanksgiving Reflections:

Thanksgiving Reflections <click here>

But also think of all the other holidays that just aren't recognized really anymore.

I'm amazed at the amount of stores and businesses open on Thanksgiving and even Christmas now and just close early. It sickens me a bit the more and more we lose ourselves.

Most companies (like mine) today only recognize 5 US national holidays. When I look at the international branches, those countries recognize an astounding amount more, even our branches in Japan. but I'm a bit off topic now...

I actually throw up a little in my mouth every time I hear "memorial day sale" or "Veterans day sale" or whatever <insert> sale.

I don't know about the whole nation but since when did Halloween becoming like a month and a half event. I mean the Halloween stores and decore shows up in mid September.

Don't let Black Friday get you down.. its just another stupid artificial holiday to sell you stuff that will be on sale at a later date or somewhere else anyway. For some its a "sport"

I wonder how many casualties there will be this year.

Originally Posted by trunker (Post 785183)

this one year i was in kuwat, in the middle east, and the new years fell on something like a tuesday or wednesday,....

well the government decided that new years day should be moved closer to the weekend so people could have a nice long weekend, so the holidays that year were actually on the 3rd or something like that.

we all still got smashed on the 31st anyway :D

Originally Posted by Columbine (Post 785192)

Since I was a kid there's been this weird kind of push to make Halloween the same kind of mega commercial event in the UK as it is in the USA. Although, where I live everyone has looked at all the hype in the shops and gone 'bugger that!' and gone out Halloween night to avoid the trick or treaters.

So I suppose the restaurants benefit, but Urgh. Halloween is for little kiddies and student house parties; I wish they'd stop encouraging drunk vindictive teens to go about harassing people on their own doorsteps.

Originally Posted by RobinMask (Post 785211)

In the UK the only holidays we have unique to us are Guy Fawkes Day and Remeberance Day (although I think some other countries in the commonwealth celebrate that). I think people have a healthy respect for the latter, and still tend to enjoy the former. Other holidays like Christmas, Easter etc. tend to be more about commercialism than religion, and Halloween - like another poster said - had little respect at all. I think most people consider holidays a time to just have fun, so there's little respect to be had ;)

Originally Posted by Ito (Post 785229)

problem in sweden is that we trying to take some american traditions. dont see the point in it. why have halloween and all saints night on same dayes?. all saints night is for honouring the died.

dont see the point of having halloween in sweden to. o.O

Originally Posted by spoonybard (Post 785240)

...especially because Halloween is just for getting candy in the US, Canada, and any other place where people "celebrate" it according to whoever came up with the idea of dressing up and giving out candy on that particular day(what exactly IS there to celebrate?). XD Such is the deviation from it's original purpose, and sadly enough, that's what she's talking about.

Originally Posted by honoraryjapanesegirl (Post 785276)

I totally agree, I think it's rather repulsive that the American government has allowed it's society to be so lax about rememberance and such. It's offensive to me as a family member of a deceased Veteran that people make such a big deal out of shopping when it's time to remember those who gave their life for our country...

Yes, I also find it strange that there's a huge time period for Halloween...I dress up and all, but I find it rediculous to be so elaborate...

I don't think I want to know the calsualty toll this year...

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Originally Posted by honoraryjapanesegirl (Post 785280)

lol...yeah, I think that's a problem too...

Countries should celebrate their own holidays, and not take up others; I believe it only causes contraversy, but it usually doesn't sit well with the rest of the population of that country...lol

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Originally Posted by honoraryjapanesegirl (Post 785281)

Yeah, like I said before, I think people should know why they 'celebrate' what they celebrate...(even if not it's not really considered 'celebrating'...lol XD) They should know what the purpose is behind everything so they can decide if it's their cuppa tea or not. If people 'celebrate' blindly, then that can bring up more problems...lol

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Originally Posted by honoraryjapanesegirl (Post 785133)

Do any other countries have this same little respect for their holidays? I mean, I know America's bad, but are there any other stories like this one?

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Originally Posted by honoraryjapanesegirl (Post 785281)

Yeah, like I said before, I think people should know why they 'celebrate' what they celebrate...(even if not it's not really considered 'celebrating'...lol XD) They should know what the purpose is behind everything so they can decide if it's their cuppa tea or not. If people 'celebrate' blindly, then that can bring up more problems...lol

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~