are holidays being celebrated less and less...

[slipknotpsycho]

in the us every year? seems everywhere i look people are no where near as celebratory about any holiday as they were 10 years ago.... less presents less decorations (not nessicarily just christmas) less particpation in community events, etc etc....

what do you think?

[LIP]

It certainly seems that way over here in England.

[PackAnotherBowl]

Just depends on the kind of person...some celebrate and some don't.

[Spoken Word]

Yea, I agree. It might be that I "work" alot but I was thinking the same thing the other day.

[happiestmferoutthere]

It seems like the exact opposite to me. The holiday season now starts on Nov. 1. I don't remember it starting that early when I was younger. The stores seemed really crowded. The shelves emptier. The traffic heavier. The Christmas lights and decorations seemed rather excessive to me. People seem to put up more and more every year. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful, but a bit much.
I don't know... I guess the commercialism in it all brings me down.:(

[40oz]

I think it's just comes with getting older. It seems like people around me are less celebratory but it is probably just me.

[Purple Banana]

Same, the holiday dinner this year was okay... But the ones when I was younger were much more fun :)

[delusionsofNORMALity]

as with most everything else, the holidays are being celebrated less as they are sold more. it's hard to celebrate something that you have to buy. as more emphasis is placed on the merchandising of everything from pumpkin carving kits to fake christmas trees, we see each holiday as more of an opportunity to fleece the consumers than a joyous occasion.

[ChaosPotHeadNYC]

I'd blame the lack of cheer on the lack of snow, At least in New York Citys case. X-mas and new years in the big city mean snow covered streets, snowball fights and bonfires, with no snow its like the summer

[Jay Matix]

I noticed this too.. as a kid holidays were so important. I remember looking forward to halloween/christmas/thanksgiving months before! I aslo remember on christmas everyone use to put lights up now only a few people on my block even put lights up.

I think also as we get older we lose that Holidy spirit and dont really notice the whole holiday feel

[foxysox]

Between the economy and our constant state of war, I felt... trepidation more than cheer this year.

What would 2008 bring?
Would it bring the happiness, prosperity, and health that every civilization considers the virtues of a year well-lived?
Or would it bring war, foreclosure, and natural disaster beyond our wildest imaginings?

Faith becomes a slippery thing in a world as cruel as ours. It slips away entirely, or, if grasped in a final desperate grab for something to which to cling in unstable times, it becomes a trap, luring the faithful into giving up on this world in favor of the promises of the next.

[foxysox]

humans cannot guide thier own steps..So quoth the adventurer with nothing but a compass in his pocket and a distant peak reflected in his eye.

[smok3y]

Iv noticed that here aswell in edinburgh scotland...

[Acouwaila]

This world is beyond hope..humans cannot guide thier own steps..

exactly. any leader who offers any kind of plan or solution most likely has no solution. Its so sad to think about the gift we've been given, a gift greater than anything anyone could ever imagine. And the gift of this great earth, and great fruit, and great minds, is actually taken for granted...by so many people.

Some say humans will cause their own self destruction. But humans already have, the absence of our appreciation and understanding of this world is our self destruction. If we cant appreciate this magnificant wonder among us, then we are looking for a different thrill that we will appreciate. And this, is not how life is to be lived.

[burnable]

I hope holidays are being celebrated less. I think the fact that we celebrate them in the first place is a symptom of mass emotional insecurity. People don't notice because they tend not to notice flaws in popular opinion. If people just lived each day with a grateful and vibrant attitude, we wouldn't feel the need to pacify ourselves with holiday rituals that may or may not have any historical relevance. And that's not even including the commercialism.