Hallmark holiday
"Hallmark holiday" is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe a holiday that is perceived to exist primarily for commercial purposes, rather than to commemorate a traditionally significant event. The name comes from Hallmark Cards, a privately owned American company, that benefits from such manufactured events through sales of greeting cards and other items. Holidays that have been referred to as "Hallmark Holidays" include Grandparent's Day, Sweetest Day, Boss's Day, and Secretary's Day. Some people also consider St. Valentine's Day such a day.[1]
The Hallmark corporation denies that it creates such holidays and claims that it "wish[es] it were so easy that we could dream up products and people would flock to our stores to buy them", and that they only do it when there is "a real consumer need that we meet with our products."[2] [3] In 2009, David Axelrod, Senior Adviser to US President Barack Obama played down the significance of the "first 100 days of presidency", which receives much mainstream media news attention for new US Presidents, as a "Hallmark holiday".[4]
"Hallmark Moment" is another pop-culture term that can suggest either a serendipitous event or encounter or a sappy emotional appeal, including appeal for financial gain.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Zoe Wood (May 2010). "Birthday wishes: Hallmark celebrates a century of schmaltz". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/03/hallmark-celebrates-centenary.
- ^ http://corporate.hallmark.com/Newsroom/How-Holiday-Becomes-Card-Sending-Occasion
- ^ How a Holiday Becomes A Card sending Occasion, Hallmark Cards. 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."
- ^ [1]; "Obama marks 100th day in office", UPI '100 Days in the Footsteps of F.D.R. and L.B.J.", New York Times, 2 May 2009]
- ^ Caryn James, "For Your Consideration: Sappy Hallmark Moments" New York Times, March 2, 2006
[edit] Further reading
- Linda Mooney and Sarah Brabant (1998). "[Off the Rack: Store Bought Emotions and the Presentation of Self". Electronic Journal of Sociology 3 (4]http://www.sociology.org/content/vol003.004/mooney.html).
- Leigh Eric Schmidt (December 1991). "The Commercialization of the Calendar: American Holidays and the Culture of Consumption, 1870-1930". Journal of American History (Organization of American Historians) 78 (3): 887–916. doi:10.2307/2078795. JSTOR 2078795.
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