mmm... Bordeaux eggs...

Last month there were a lot of complaints about the phrase "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" in our society. In light of that, I had to laugh when See's Candies sent me two flyers for their fund raising programs. One flyer was for Valentine's Day and the other was for the "Spring Holidays." By the look of it, the Spring Holidays refer to Easter and maybe Passover (if chocolate bunnies and eggs are eaten at Seder).

Rabbits, chicks and eggs have nothing to do with the central mystery of Christianity. Perhaps it is accurate to ascribe these fertility symbols to the "Spring Holidays" instead of Easter. The word Easter comes from the name of a pagan fertility goddess who had a month named after her. If eggs and bunnies represent fertility, then maybe Easter should be represented by empty tombs and discarded shrouds. Actually that sounds more like Halloween.

If See's is trying to remove religion from its candy sales, they should realize that Valentine is a Catholic saint and martyr. Leaving the "St." off the front of "St. Valentine's Day" doesn't sound as awkward as leaving the "St." off the front of "St. Patrick's Day." Which might explain why last March I saw some green napkins for sale at Kroger that were printed with the words "Happy Shamrock Day."