New Years Day, and other public holidays

I know that today is the start of a brand new year, I know we are all supposed to celebrate this occasion but, honestly speaking, I've always found that the hype around New Year is more commercial than anything else. I mean, most of us enjoy it, because it is a break from work, and, of course, it is a great excuse to PARTY. But is it really that important?

Even for something like Christmas - what is it with "MERRY CHRISTMAS"? Wouldn't it be a lot more meaningful to say "BLESSED CHRISTMAS"? Or is that politically incorrect? Mind you, I do see the point of holidays like Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali - as they are all very cultural and all part of our roots, our cultures, our religions.... and I definitely go with the celebration of birthdays... but what's with this wholesale adoption of commercialised, meaningless, occasions?

What am I talking about you ask?

Well, what about Valentine's Day? What is the point of showing your love for someone just on one day of the year, and the rest of the year either ignoring them, or just taking them for granted? Isn't love meant to be an ongoing work of art? My husband and I have never really understood this. For us, Valentine's Day has been pretty much every day that we have been together!

And things like Mothers Day/Fathers Day. Um... do you just appreciate your parents ONE day of the year? Or do you show our appreciation throughout the year? What's the point of ignoring your Mom and Dad the whole year round, then turning up on Mothers/Fathers Day with a bunch of expensive and meaningless flowers or other gifts?

When it comes down to it, aren't they all just awfully commercialised? Commercially I guess all these holidays are important - I mean, restaurants use many of these holidays as an excuse to charge a bomb for a mediocre menu. Many resort hotels use New Years Day as an excuse to force guests to pay for a dinner they don't necessarily want to attend... and of course most hotels use these festive occasions as an excuse to charge higher hotel rates.

OK, maybe I'm just being anti-social, but I REALLY don't get the point, but then, that's just my point of view!