Mother's Day and Father's Day.

For people who are usually mean to or dismissive of their parents— such observances allow them the opportunity to be nice for at least one day. They can then revert to their habitual patterns the rest of the year.

Imagine how many more businesses would prosper if we also had Daughter's Day and Son's Day and Brother's Day and Sister's Day and Aunt's Day and Pet's Day. . . .

Anniversaries.

I was invited to an anniversary party not long ago. Everyone went around saying how wonderful it was that the guests of honor had been married to each other for fifty years. Fifty years.

"My wife and I have been married for fifty years," the husband said proudly in his speech. "We have never been apart. We are very proud of what we have accomplished."

Everybody gave them a standing ovation.

The thought flashed on my screen: This is probably the last generation to celebrate a fiftieth wedding anniversary. In the coming years living with the same person—day in day out—for fifty years will seem as odd as living in the same house for fifty years or staying at the same job for fifty years.

Religious holidays.

In the cities of North America and Europe around Christmas and other major holidays tens of thousands of singles suffer from' 'holiday depres­sion." These people have no families to spend certain holidays with.

Their mistake is that they try desperately to fit yesterday's traditions into today's realities. One of these days they will have a consciousness shift. The realization will at last register that they are no longer little children in 1948 or 1955 or 1969—that they have outgrown family and religion and do not need to celebrate holidays. All they have to do is go out and do what they do so well with their friends all year long— have fun.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 865