With Valentine’s Day recently out of the way, now is as good of a time as any to hone in on the very concept of “Hallmark Holidays” as a whole. A Hallmark Holiday is one that is perceived to exist mostly to serve commercial purposes, encouraging the population to purchase merchandise related to those holidays. Some prime examples of this include Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Boss’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. What separates these holidays from other notable ones is the fact that their histories are much less relevant to the general public. Instead, what we’re left with are stores filled with themed goodies intended to push everyone to spend as much hard-earned money as possible on things to make the holiday seem more legitimate – candy, floral arrangements, cards and more. The original meaning of holidays like Valentine’s Day is widely unknown. Valentine’s Day itself is formally known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It originated as a day honoring various early Christian martyrs, each known as Saint Valentine. It somehow grew into something of a significant cultural and religious holiday used to celebrate love and connection across the world.

            Despite the seemingly rich history for the holiday, it has become a source of chocolate, expensive cards and the dismay of single people everywhere. So the big question remains: Do we really need to have such a holiday at all? The short answer is: No.

Considering how widely unknown the history of this holiday is, it makes little sense to place any strong emphasis on it (and other even less justifiable Hallmark Holidays) as it all begins to feel like a scam. It feeds into the exploitation of people and their happiness for the sake of marketing schemes and it encourages people to throw money at isolated events that should be taking place every day. People shouldn’t necessarily need a single day to appreciate teachers, or a single day to show love to their parents. Days like these tend to encourage saving all that energy for one day in the entire year. This removes valuable consistency for a great deal of people celebrating these holidays.

            Despite all of this, Hallmark Holidays are still genuine in their potential to bring unity to loved ones via the comfort and warmth implied by these “special days.” Just because their history isn’t well-documented doesn’t mean that they can’t be a source of light in the lives of people at their lowest, or a source of joy to help someone connect to those they love. There’s an enjoyable aspect to these holidays that deserves to be valued on its own. This respectability comes from the fact that these days help connect different groups of people emotionally. And, of course, connect with the tasty treats given and received.