I think if you asked the majority of people what holiday is on November 11th, they would look at you with confusion and think they are missing Thanksgiving. The sad truth about this is that holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc. are all just a little more popular than a federal holiday like Veterans Day. This Veteran’s Day I’m asking myself why is that?
Here Are Some Theories as to Why I Believe Veterans Day is Underrated:
It’s not social media "worthy"…
How dare you post something in your feed that would ruin the aesthetic? I think we are very quick to post about the eggs we decorated on Easter and the cute desserts we made for the picnic on Memorial Day because they go with the flow of what you post and they’re cool. Maybe to some Veteran’s Day isn’t as “pretty” as these other holidays and that’s why it doesn’t get more traction.
It’s not about YOU…
Agree to disagree, but we are a society that’s all about ourselves. On New Year’s we think, where are we going to party Christmas we wonder what gifts we are going to get and on Halloween we are focused on what we are going to be, but on Veteran’s Day what is there? Veteran’s Day should be, how are we going to honor others and that’s something that isn’t ingrained into us like the ideas of other holidays.
The word isn’t out there...
I feel like Veterans Day is one of those holidays that you aren’t aware of until you look at a calendar. I’ve always been in tune with the holiday because I’m what they call a military brat. It was always important for me to salute not only my dad, but all of the soldiers out there, but what about the rest of us? For those who aren’t directly linked to the holiday, they may see a sale at their favorite store happening, but it’s not in your face like other holidays. Take Christmas TV Yes, there’s sales for Veterans Day, but it’s not like anyone does a special on TV for Veteran’s Day like they do for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
A Quick History of Veteran’s Day in America
After taking a look as to why I think Veteran’s Day is underrated, I was curious as to how people traditionally choose to commemorate those who have served. We know on 4th of July you’re supposed to do a BBQ and watch fireworks and on Thanksgiving you get full off of turkey, but what about Veteran’s Day?
Veteran’s Day is celebrated on November 11th each year, however if it falls on a Sunday like it does this year, than it is federally observed on the next day. Makes sense considering veterans can be government employees and I think we could all agree they deserve the day off. However, Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to honor the end of WW1…can’t say that I ever knew this before writing this article. What else I didn’t know is that this is the 100th year of celebrating Veteran’s Day. Common ways to pay your respects to those who have served is to lay coins on the graves of soldiers and fly the United States Flag. Pretty interesting history lesson if you ask me…
However, out of all of the ways to celebrate the federal holiday, I think the most important thing is that we should focus on being grateful for those who have served because without them we wouldn’t have the ability to post about certain holidays or get to enjoy those TV specials that we look forward to, so if you see a Veteran on Sunday or Monday, remember to thank them for their service.