Every time a major holiday rolls around, the happy sounds are drowned out by the grumbling of cynics. Why, the resentful reasoning goes, should we have certain days set aside to celebrate things that should be on our minds constantly? We should be thankful every day, not just Thanksgiving. We should buy flowers for our significant others whenever the mood strikes us, not only on the day that tradition tells us we're supposed to.

It's true that holidays tend to be overblown, and there is sense in the contention that the original meanings are lost in the flurry of Hallmark cards and mall sales. Everyone has had to sit through the saccharine falsity of pre-turkey gratitude. But there are reasons for holidays, and they can be enjoyed despite shallow pretenses and the glossy sheen of commercialism.

The most obvious is tradition. As we grow, changes happen. People move; careers switch; relationships come and go. When everything else in life is turning upside down and you don’t know what’s going to happen next, it can be nice to fall back into grooves you've known since you were small.

Although Uncle Bob's mumbling about the government at the family reunion gets old after a while, there's some measure of security in thinking that he's been complaining about the same things for twenty years, and that next year, he'll be sitting there after dinner in the squishy armchair, holding a glass of spiced wine and mumbling the exact same things.

The hanging of the stockings, the frantic search for Easter eggs, the firecrackers on the Fourth of July...even when you've outgrown some annual rituals, it's comforting to know that they still exist.

Holidays originated for reasons, and even when Russell Stover is raking in millions by taking advantage of lovers eager to please their objects of desire, the tenderness behind the chocolate is there. Even when Wal-Mart has coated Christmas with tinsel and inflatable snowmen for your lawn, you can remember the spirit of giving and peace on Earth. Cliches these may be, but worthless they are not.

But shouldn’t we think about peace and love every day, rather than setting aside one day each year for them? Of course we should, but the sad fact is that we don’t. Holidays provide a reminder- sometimes gentle, sometimes as subtle as a pickaxe to the face - that there is more to the world than grades and the grocery store.

In any case, holidays aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so we might as well look on the bright side. Try embracing the ideas instead of hating the trimmings, and maybe this year, the holiday season won’t be quite so painful.

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