Hallmark holiday

"Hallmark holiday" is a disparaging term, used predominantly in the United States, to describe a holiday that exists primarily for commercial purposes, rather than to commemorate a traditionally significant religious or secular event. The name comes from Hallmark Cards, a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri, that benefits from such manufactured events through sales of greeting cards and other items. The company itself denies having any role in the creation of the holidays that bear this moniker. [ [http://pressroom.hallmark.com/how_holiday_becomes_card_holiday.html How a Holiday Becomes A Card sending Occasion] , Hallmark. Accessed October 17, 2007. "While we're honored that people so closely link the Hallmark name with celebrations and special occasions, we can't take credit for creating holidays."] Holidays that have been referred to as "Hallmark Holidays" include Valentine's Day, Mother's Day [Steiger, Thomas L. [http://www.tribstar.com/opinion_columns/local_story_134101928.html "Thomas Steiger: What is it that we celebrate on Mother’s Day?"] , "Tribune-Star", May 14, 2007. Accessed June 7, 2007. "In 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed a bill to recognize Mother’s Day as a national holiday on the second Sunday in May. I thought it was a “Hallmark Holiday.”"] , Fathers' Day [Lukas, Carrie. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/16/opinion/main1724288.shtml "Happy Father's Day!"] , CBS News, June 18, 2006. Accessed June 7, 2007. "Father’s Day tends to get treated as just another “Hallmark Holiday.” And we have so many: Grandparents Day, Secretary’s (now the more politically correct “Administrative Professional’s”) Day, National Teacher’s Day, Take Your Daughter to Work Day — the list goes on. Yet if ever there was a need for a Hallmark Holiday, Father’s Day is it."] , Sweetest Day [Frazee, mark. [http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2004/10/15/Campus/Sweetest.Day.Losing.Luster.On.Campus-755067.shtml "Sweetest Day losing luster on campus"] , "The Lantern", October 15, 2004. Accessed July 20, 2007. "Cliched as the Hallmark holiday, Sweetest Day was founded by Herbert Kingston of Cleveland in 1922."] , Christmas in July, [Levey, Bob. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/32481860.html?dids=32481860:32481860&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=JUL+30%2C+1998&author=Bob+Levey&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=A+Hallmark+Holiday%3A+Christmas+in+July&pqatl=google "A Hallmark Holiday: Christmas in July"] , "The Washington Post", July 30, 1988. Accessed June 7, 2007. "For decades, the Hallmark greeting card people have given us stickily sentimental cards for every occasion. Their cards are so gooey that they've given rise to a new way to describe syrupy occasions. Call them Hallmark Holidays. Hallmark's Christmas in July was part of a nationwide promotion of Christmas tree ornaments, said Janice Moungelis, manager of Expressions Hallmark at White Flint."] and Boss's Day. [Usher, Penne. [http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2007/10/14/news/lifestyle/01lsbossday.txt "Take me to your leader:With National Boss's Day on Oct. 16, local employees share how their leaders still manage to inspire"] , "Auburn Journal", October 13, 2007. Accessed October 18, 2007. "It may be considered a Hallmark holiday to some, but there are Auburnites that genuinely believe their supervisors deserve special treatment on National Boss's Day."]

Related to "Hallmark Holiday" is the pop-culture term "Hallmark Moment." It can suggest either a serendipitous event or encounter, or a sappy emotional appeal, especially manipulation of emotion for financial gain. [Caryn James, [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/movies/redcarpet/02teas.html "For Your Consideration: Sappy Hallmark Moments"] "New York Times", March 2, 2006]

References in popular culture

* "The Simpsons" episode 5F10, "Trash of the Titans", the retail corporations create a new holiday called "Love Day" which the Simpson family adopts without question.
* In the film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" the character Joel states "Valentine's Day is a day invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap."
*Halloween has similarly been suggested to have been created by the candy companies; in " Hocus Pocus" one character gives this as the reason for his lack of excitement over the holiday, noting that it is a conspiracy; whereas in the Charlie Brown Halloween Special, Lucy van Pelt confides her belief "that is all controlled by a big eastern syndicate."

References

Further reading

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External links