Are Holidays Good?

Are Holidays Good? 

The word ‘holiday’ usually conjures up positive imagery, or does it? It could be claimed that the connotation of the word is positive; people see holidaying as a well deserved break, a time to relax and escape from the regular and routine, a treat that has been earned through work. However, if one delves beyond the surface it soon becomes apparent that all is not positive. Could it be that holidays are a bad thing, a burden on income, a stressful excursion, the ultimate anticlimax? It all depends on the person’s culture, background, and age, not to mention the effects that holidays have on the world as a whole. So, when looking at the question of whether holidays are good, it soon becomes apparent that all is not always as clear cut as it appears on the surface, and to really find out the answer to this question it is necessary to delve a little deeper.

When looking at what constitutes as a holiday, certain factors need to be considered. A holiday can be a religious celebration or festival, a break from employment, or recreational excursion. It is possible for a holiday to entail all three of the above definitions. A further definition can be added when considering students, as most countries have intermittent holidays throughout the year, as well as a regular holiday that is longer in duration, known as the school holiday.

By far the most popular holidays in the western world are Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Surely only agreeable aspects can be discussed when looking at this time of year when we celebrate the birth of the lord Jesus Christ, the gathering of family and friends, and the sharing of gifts and merriment. However, some people may see this sacred time as a commercial sell-out, a spit in the face of the traditional sense of the holiday, and a pantomime that is badly acted without tact or grace. Even though this may be the case, it can still be argued that the overwhelming goodness of this holiday season outweighs the dilution of Christmas in the traditional sense.

One interesting point-of-view that can be taken into consideration is that of Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, Douglass struggled against the bonds that tied him to become educated and write of the atrocities that he and his fellow men were subjected to. Of the Christmas holiday he wrote:

"The holidays are part and parcel of the gross fraud, wrong, and inhumanity of slavery. They are professedly a custom established by the benevolence of the slaveholders; but I undertake to say, it is the result of selfishness, and one of the grossest frauds committed upon the down-trodden slave. They do not give the slaves this time because they would not like to have their work during its continuance, but because they know it would be unsafe to deprive them of it [...] Their object seems to be, to disgust their slaves with freedom, by plunging them into the lowest depths of dissipation. For instance, the slaveholders not only like to see the slave drink of his own accord, but will adopt various plans to make him drunk […] So, when the holidays ended, we staggered up from the filth of our wallowing, took a long breath, and marched to the field,—feeling, upon the whole, rather glad to go, from what our master had deceived us into a belief was freedom, back to the arms of slavery.”

Douglass is saying that the holidays were used as a tool to tame the slaves, to make them feel ashamed and not wanting of the freedom that a holiday entails, and thus further enslave them and quash any desire for freedom.

The general idea of a holiday is to get away from work and spend time well earned relaxing. For some, this may be the case, but more and more people are of the opinion that they need a holiday from their holiday. This is due to the evolution of the modern holiday. As little as thirty years ago, an average holiday would amount to going somewhere with a different climate, and wiling your days away relaxing on a beach, recharging your batteries, so to speak. The modern holiday, however, is much different, and it has become the norm to try and cram the short vacation with as many activities as possible. Also, it is also common for these activities to be action packed, full of adventure, and strenuous on both the body and mind. This has an oxymoronic effect on the actual holiday, as people return from their break exhausted, less energized than when they set of on the holiday, and in the need of a holiday, in the traditional sense of the word.

There are certainly both positive and negative aspects of holidays. One highly positive attribute to the holiday is its economic importance throughout the world. There is, however, a negative side to this positive factor. It is often the case that a country relies solely on its tourism trade, and when this disappears because of a natural disaster, a change in government, terrorist threats, or increased competition, the results can be catastrophic. Take for instance the Bali bombing of 2005. Prior to the bombing Bali was a flourishing tourist destination for Australians due to its location, its beauty, and its close proximity to Australia. According to the Guardian, tourism in Indonesia plummeted by 31% shortly after the incident. In Bali, one the less developed areas of Indonesia, the effects of the bombing were even more poignant, with tourist numbers down by over 50% within the same period. When the importance of the tourist industry to a country’s economy is taken into consideration, it becomes apparent that holidays are great for those that rely on tourism, but also bad when when the industry is faced with a crisis.

A further factor that needs to be considered is the environment. When people go on holiday, they tend to travel, and when people travel they tend to leave a path of destruction in their wake. Global warming has yet to be proved a reality, but litter is, and the reality of it is that as more people holiday, more pristine unspoilt landscapes and wilderness are inhabited, occupied, developed on, and scarred. One only needs to look at any popular tourist destination that is on an island to see how tourism has a negative impact on the environment.

In Thailand, where there are many beautiful islands, the damage is clear for all to see. Once a serene island that was renowned for its beautiful beaches, flora, and fauna, Ko Pha Ngan is now an infamous holiday destination where revelers congregate on the beaches and dance into the early hours. The rise in popularity of this monthly event has led to overdevelopment on the island and neighboring islands, as well as an increase in litter. The aftermath of the full moon party can be seen on the morning after the party with the beach and surrounding areas covered in litter.

The summer holidays are usually well received from both students and teachers alike. In England and Japan, the holidays last for six weeks, whereas in the US, some states have three months off. In Thailand, the holiday lasts for just over two months and is taken during the hottest part of the year. For some underdeveloped countries, especially those that still rely heavily on agriculture, this holiday coincides with the planting or harvesting season, so that all hands can help with the huge amount of workload.

Recent studies have shown that the holidays are a huge help academically for a certain demographic and a hindrance for others. In his latest book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell suggests that the holidays give those students that are from a better economic background an advantage over those that come from poorer families. Gladwell analyzed pre-holiday and post-holiday test scores of both demographics and noticed that students from a working class background scored less when returning to school, whereas students from middle and upper-middle class backgrounds scored better. Malcolm proposed that the reasons behind these scores related to what the students did throughout the holiday. Those from a higher economic background were more likely to have partaken in extra-curricular activities such as private classes throughout the holiday. He also suggested that they had access to educational material such as books around the house, whereas it was unlikely that these opportunities were available to those students from a lower economic background. Based upon his findings, it seems that holidays are a good for some and bad for others.

When trying to determine whether holidays are good or not, one has to take into account that there are different types of holiday, different cultures to consider, and different factors to take into consideration. I believe that on a whole, holidays are good, as they bring families together, increase cultural awareness, and provide a much needed break from what at times can be a dull and monotonous life for some. Surely, no-one wants to be deprived of a holiday. However, there are some negative aspects of holidays that need to be considered, such as how tourism affects the environment, how holidays can leave holidaymakers stressed and exhausted and how school holidays can give those who are financially better of a head start in terms of education.

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers. United States: Little, Brown and Company.

Gurtner, Y. (2004). After the Bali bombing - the long road to recovery. The Australian journal of emergency management , 1-11.

Sherlock, D. S. (2002). Parliament of Australia. Retrieved October 11, 2009, from Parliament of Australia: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/cib/2002-03/03cib04.pdf

The Guardian. (2005, December 05). Retrieved October 11, 2009, from theguardian.co.uk: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/dec/03/indonesia.travelnews