Holidays stink! Work stops, and everyone expects a major outpouring of consumer rewards expressing love and affection.

Most holidays are born of religious traditions and inclinations. Thanksgiving, for instance, holds the idea of thanking a deity as a dominate part of a feast. Born of a nationalistic attitude of being thankful for a new land to conquer, the thanks are given to a particular cultures god.

I do not celebrate any holiday, except maybe National Eat A Banana Day, because everything that is behind the holidays is absolutely meaningless to me.

I also do not believe in the idea of buying presents in abundance to give to a person on a specific day. If I see something in a store that looks like something that someone I love would like, I do something that might seem a little odd. I buy it for that person, if I have enough money, then give it to them. No holding onto it, no hiding it.

Not that I don't celebrate birthdays, of course. The day that a person was born is a special day. I just don't make it about consumerism or contend towards economic breakdowns to show it. I spend time with them, have a feast, and dote a little on them.

It is difficult enough trying to pay bills and maintain lifes necessities. Food, shelter, water, heat, all cost in abundance. Transportation can oft times wipe out any spare change that the rest of the bills leave a person with. Why go into extreme debt on a annual basis just because of the time of year?

If you really love someone, presents might be a way of showing them, but loving them would be better. Devoting time to them, watching tv or taking a walk, listening to what they have to say. These are much better methods of communicating how you feel.