Snow, cookies and capitalism

By JONATHON TOLBER

The Mirror reporter

A common saying around December is “Happy Holidays” but what exactly comes to mind when someone is wished happy holidays? What are the holidays and does our view of what the holidays are differ?

In my personal opinion, people often get too caught up in preparing for the holidays (such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve) and forget what is important, which is being surrounded by family and friends.

Christmas, for example, has sparked shopping frenzies such as Black Friday. The origins of Black Friday are up for debate but I am arguing that masses of people gather around these stores because they feel as though they need to get the biggest bang for their buck.

Black Friday truly brings out the worst in people, most people have just finished giving thanks for what they have but then they go out acting like a bunch of animals just so they can get a few discounts.

In our current age the New Year is focused more upon the upcoming year and a resolution to improve one’s self. This is thought to have first caught on among the ancient Babylonians, who made promises in order to earn the factor of the gods, to start the New Year off on the right foot. http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-years

The Romans instituted January 1 as the first day of their new calendar. It was chosen to start during the month of Janus, Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future.

The holidays should be about spending time with the people you love and celebrating the previous year. If people are so caught up on improving themselves from previous years then they should spend the morning of new year’s reflecting on the year and closely examining their own character, then in the afternoon think about the present and what direction their life is heading and finally in the evening celebrate the fact that they are alive and toasting to the future with family and friends.