Like a lot of holidays, many people don't know where they came from or why we should celebrate or "like" them. The Christian ones are a bit easier, since they've been around for centuries. But they've even morphed and warped into unrecognizable holidays from their initial induction.

Easter Bunnies, Halloween costumes, Santa Claus, Leuperchan's and copious amounts of alcohol. And then there's the holiday's that just kind of came up from seemingly nowhere that everyone knows about and most celebrate. Thanksgiving, complete with utterly non-traditional foods that may or may not have been eaten. The iconic Uncle Sam for the 4th of July (strange since he was created for WWI posters that have nothing to do with the 4th of July and might be better served for veteran's day or memorial day)... weird, weird commercial things we turn our holiday's into that completely miss the point of what we're supposed to be remembering and celebrating.

I mean why don't we fly the "Don't Tread on Me." flag for the 4th of July? Or have Paul Revere as the iconic figure? Or even just using the original US flag, the one with only 13 stars... wouldn't that better serve to remind people that it was really a small group of people who fought against an entire nation for our independence? Why do we use the guy from recruitment posters now? And worse still why do we use the guy from WWI recruitment posters when our independence wasn't at stake? It wasn't until WWII that it became potentially hazy (not really but... at least our soil was attacked).

Sorry I'm with you Kicker on not liking all the commercialism in our holiday's, I'd like to just remember what I should be, and celebrate what should be celebrated without worrying if my GBs have the latest "it" costume, or the TOY OF THE YEAR... I'd like for them to at least learn a little bit about what everyone is celebrating when the fireworks go off or the trees light up.