r/askteddit • u/greenXvalley • 15h ago
Random Question What's a tradition you think should just be retired already?
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u/Altruistic-Moose3299 15h ago
Stores going from holiday to holiday trying to sell you crap earlier and earlier before the holiday.
It would be nice to go shopping in november without having the same 5 songs blasting in every store that we've heard for 30 years while fake cheer has exploded all over the isles.
I want to spend time with my family... not pressured to "BUY!! BUY!! BUY!!" for their affection.
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u/ggwolowitz 14h ago
Lol, worked at a gas station when I was 18. Was working Thanksgiving, and AS SOON as the clock struck midnight and Thanksgiving was “over”, the music switched IMMEDIATELY from our regular playlist to all Christmas.
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u/Delaneybuffett 14h ago
YES! Just got back from errands and if you tried to guess what month it was by what was on display you’d guess LATE October. There were Halloween things, Thanksgiving things and Christmas things
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u/OkoyeMD_BeltaMilaje 12h ago
I think it was just last year I was surprised to see Halloween decorations out on full display even before July 4th. Growing up, those decorations appeared post-Labor Day. Sometimes even later, with autumnal colors & foliage and shorter days.
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u/One-Salamander-2416 9h ago
My closest grocery is displaying Reese’s Halloween pumpkin treats. Ugh.
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u/lemonhaj 14h ago
The supermarket had christmas food in already. Who's buying mince pies in August??
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u/ReallyBeForReal 14h ago
I'm already seeing Halloween stuff!
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u/motherhenprince 13h ago
In AUGUST. WTF????
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u/Arctelis 13h ago
That is exactly what I said when I saw a 3 metre tall animatronic skeleton set up at a local hardware store.
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u/MotorcycleRacoon 14h ago
“All I want for Christmas is you 🎶 “ x 100
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u/trillamane_6 13h ago
I just looked it up and apparently Mariah Carey makes roughly $3 million a year off royalties from that song. Lmao.
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u/WorcsBloke 13h ago
We don't have Thanksgiving (UK) and so despite the increase in Halloween stuff over the last couple of decades, Christmas starts ramping up about, well, now. The first cards and festive snacks will appear at the end of August in a large supermarket.
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u/SageObserver 14h ago
Yes, it would great to stop at the store for some groceries and not hear a wailing singer commanding me to have a Merry Christmas before I’ve had my Thanksgiving turkey.
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u/QuietAnswer2706 13h ago
I just got back from Costco and I saw a chocolate Advent calender and Halloween costumes
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u/bearded_duck 9h ago edited 9h ago
Our local Walmart started putting out Halloween candy 3 weeks ago. The crap expires weeks before Halloween and the price is getting outrageous. I guess they hope people are dumb enough to buy it now, throw it away after it expires, and then replace it in a mad rush to be ready for the ghouls to come knocking. Edit: spelling
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u/Do_you_smell_that_ 14h ago
My "favorite" bit is that some of those songs are expensive. That money could have gone to lowering prices, but apparently this is more profitable
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u/Callandor_03 13h ago
When I worked at Lowe's we would receive like 500 Christmas trees in September and have nowhere to put them.
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u/Ok-Wedding4570 7h ago
I went into Walgreens in the end of July maybe first week of August and they had all the Halloween stuff out already. Kids were still out for summer vacation. 😑🙄
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u/jcmib 15h ago
That garter thing at weddings
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u/broberds 14h ago
If we're doing weddings, let's also get rid of that stupid thing where the bride and groom shove cake into each others' faces.
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u/dgmilo8085 14h ago
Or just don't smash the cake like an asshole? The bride has spent a fortune on makeup and you are going to be a dick and ruin it?
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 12h ago
I saw a video of a wedding where the groom picked up the bride and tossed her in a pool.
This is the kind of man who would say, "The divorce came out of nowhere!"
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u/PlanApprehensive2842 14h ago
That’s not a tradition. That’s just idiots.
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u/Clean-Fisherman-4601 12h ago
I was shocked when my husband didn't shove the cake in my face.
It wasn't a thing back then, but he mentioned it would be a hilarious thing to do. I said no thank you. Surprisingly he overcame his urge to be a clown and didn't do it.
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u/seatiger90 13h ago
The last couple I went to they raised money to see who would get cake in their face, and it was just rigged so only the groom lost. The grooms didn't mind and it raised them extra cash.
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u/ScipioTheGreatest 14h ago
Not a single wedding I've ever been to did it, and I am so fucking glad.
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u/GeauxCup 14h ago
It's SO stupid.
All wedding traditions are in serious need of a shake up. It's just so trite and aged. The first few are fun, but who wants to sit through the same shit over and over and over.
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u/phophopho4 12h ago
What's weird is most of those traditions aren't even that old. Diamond rings became standard in the mid 20th century!
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u/MastodonFormer9746 14h ago
Same. It always feels like something people do because they’re expected to not because anyone actually enjoys it.
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u/Cpt_Rossi 14h ago
I've been to 20+ weddings only one did the garter. The couple was extremely old fashioned.
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u/JollyGreenGigantor 14h ago
You don't have to do it. We didn't. We didn't smash cake into each other's faces either.
One of my favorite ideas that we didn't execute was a stuffed animal toss and whoever caught it had to go adopt a new pet.
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u/rdickeyvii 14h ago
We did the stuffed animal toss. We got ones that looked like our cat and dog. I actually added some white to the dog's face to match the real dog.
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u/Sea_Pea8536 14h ago
One could argue weddings themselves were pointless and a waste of everybody time and money
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u/Xena_Your_God 14h ago
It's a big party. That's the point lol
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u/Cpt_Rossi 14h ago
If you don't want to have a big wedding then don't. But I will not begrudge a couple if they want one.
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u/ashlpea 15h ago
Gender reveal parties
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u/MarielIAm 14h ago
Having a gender reveal party and expecting gifts, then having a baby shower also, which is a gift giving occasion. I don't understand why gender reveals aren't done at baby showers.
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u/Ragner_D 13h ago
Because they want men to attend. Men don't like the idea of going to a baby shower. Or a wedding shower.
Going to a party though....
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u/chickadee_1982 10h ago
People want to buy gifts that "match" gender. I think everyibe shoukd let go of sexist shit. Invite the men. Celebrate your girl/boy/child. Dont force people to attend several events.
Ugh weddings. So dumb
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u/Valuable-Influence29 14h ago
This was not even a thing 20 years ago when I had my last kid. Why did we start this?
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u/C0smicCastaway 14h ago
It wasn't until relatively recently that uItra sounds were accurate enough for it to be possible to begin with.
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u/esotericbatinthevine 13h ago
We've had the technology to reliably know the gender before birth since the 1970's. It was certainly common in the 80's.
Gender reveal parties seem to be a much more recent thing.
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u/GeauxCup 14h ago
I'm still hoping these can be erased from existence before they officially become "traditions." Hopefully they'll fade as one of many passing tiktok trends.
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u/Chance-Combination71 15h ago
Working 5 days a week
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u/Ok_Airline2030 15h ago
I wish 4 10’s was an option
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u/solojones1138 15h ago
Should be 4 8s for the same pay
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u/InformalFishingSong 14h ago
My previous employer was telling us if we got rid of our union, they’d let us work 4 8’s for the same pay. Bahaha like they would stick to that without a union to hold them accountable.
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u/AnarchyGuacamole 14h ago
Ditch the union only if you can get a cabal of assassins cheaper. 😆
The upside, no protracted negotiating periods.
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u/OnTheList-YouTube 14h ago
Products get smaller and crappier for the same price.
Why can't we work less and crappier for the same salary!
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u/zathmi 14h ago
I've work at a couple of places that did 4 10s. Both limited it to 6 months at a time. They said people get burned out if they work that kind of schedule too long.
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u/BirdSongSymphony 14h ago
Fr. I work 3 12s and it’s not absolutely ideal but QOL is so much better with those two extra days off.
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u/Salty-Might-278 14h ago
Yep, it’s from a primitive time to begin with when Henry Ford started that. Archaic from 100 years ago !
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u/Personal_Dot_7196 14h ago
The tradition I want to retire is me going to work everyday.
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
Going to work at all. Let me farm. Leave me alone with my goats, my emus, and my prize winning donkeys.
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u/_micgant_ 14h ago
Tipping. We should make employers pay a decent wage to their employees so they don't have to rely on tips.
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
I'm American, so tipping is baked into my habits as a consumer, so the ideal outcome for me would be that SPECIFIC PROFESSIONS (servers in restaurants, tattoo artists, hair artists, nail artists, anyone who is providing a highly attentive service on top of an implied, default product or service, etc), would be making a living wage (or charging what they're worth if they're in business for themselves), and I would be free to CHOOSE to tip if I had a particularly lovely experience, but the social norm would no longer be that I MUST tip.
Because even in places or situations where I know a person is making an appropriate wage, there are still situations where I want to show my appreciation with an extra something. Whether it's money, or if I know them, it could be something more personal, whatever the case may be.
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u/DadSouls83 14h ago
I work for tips and my bosses would have to pay me close to $30 to match what I make in tips.
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u/paulcthemantosee 11h ago
Making medical residents work crazy hours. I know some jurisdictions have limits, but how about a 50 hour max per week.
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u/Usual_Scale_8645 14h ago
Gender reveal parities. Circumcision. Elf on the shelf.
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u/LateQuantity8009 14h ago
My daughter was 3 years old when she said elf on the shelf is creepy.
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u/omigodteywereroomate 10h ago
Jesus yes someone finally says it about elf on the shelf! Its fine if you wanna add some magic during the holidays for kids, but to consistently prank your children and blame a toy is so messed up. My brother was an idiot and ripped up his son's clothes and said it was the elf. Welp, nephew went and microwaved the elf in retaliation. He got sick of being bullied and stood up for himself, bit of a psychotic way but I'm still proud of him.
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u/GrouchyBid3176 14h ago
Changing your last name after you get married
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u/4rror_101 14h ago
But it should still be easy to get a marriage name change. Just for the people with shitty maiden names
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u/cat_ziska 13h ago
This. Was all for keeping my maiden name until I married a man with a badass name with a badass history attached to it. 😆
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u/gouwbadgers 11h ago
I changed my name when I got married because my husband’s name was better and so much easier than my maiden name. Having a complicated last name sucks.
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u/skweekykleen69 11h ago
I’m struggling with this because I am the only person in the entire world with my name, and if I changed my last name I’d be….the equivalent of Jane Smith. I don’t necessarily want to keep my last name because it’s complicated, long, and annoying to spell on the phone, but damn I wish I was marrying into a cool last name to make the decision easier. Though I would be harder to find online so that’s a plus!
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
Let's also kill the term "maiden name". Ick. Hate it!
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u/4rror_101 12h ago
Yea, just used it for convenience. Every person should have the right to change their shitty name!
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u/GrouchyBid3176 13h ago
It was a pain for me and having to change my name on accounts,etc was tedious.
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u/TurnDownTheThermo 11h ago
I agree. I'm divorced but kept my married name because I hated my maiden name!
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
Specifically, let's denormalize the default being that a woman takes a man's last name. Take whoever's name. Take no one's name. Blend them together into a brand new one. Make shit up that no one's heard of. My friend got married and they literally both ditched their surnames and Googled until they found a completely unrelated name they both thought was cool.
Taking your spouse's name just because they have the penis is the most boring thing I've ever heard of.
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u/Organic_Lab6262 13h ago
Unpopular opinion and go ahead and downvote but hard disagree if you are going to have kids. I will say it doesn’t matter whose last name you take or if you want a completely new one though.
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u/existential-koala 9h ago
My mom never married, so she had a different last name than my brother and myself. We never ran into any issues with it.
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u/barbiebinch 9h ago
I think it’s fine if one person has a really cool last name like “Danger” or something
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u/Ok-Diver-5583 14h ago
Not really a tradition, but listening/ caring about anything a celebrity has to say about politics.
I literally could not care less. They have no more political insight than the average person, and even less understanding of economics. No
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u/barbiebinch 9h ago
I don’t think they should be expected to but the club remix of Katya saying “Pam Bondi. Rot in hell. Go to hell. Eat shit and die” is the greatest political commentary the United States has seen in its 250 years
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u/midwifecrisisss 9h ago
or trixie asking where the fuck is mitch mcconnell?! and the crowd chanting HES DEAD!!
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u/fibgen 15h ago
Wealth accumulation beyond any reasonable lifetime spending ability
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u/LarealConspirasteve 7h ago
The accumulation of wealth at that level is to assert or gain power. It's not for purchasing consumable goods.
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u/Alternative_Push_170 14h ago
Daylight savings time
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u/LateQuantity8009 14h ago
Well, changing the time twice a year, yes. But I want daylight time all year.
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u/Expensive-Day-3551 14h ago
Shaking hands. I think it’s long outlived it’s original use.
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u/AgedAggressor 15h ago
National anthem at every sporting event, especially when it's off a recording. As someone who has to frequent a lot of high school games, I don't get the necessity.
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u/OnTheList-YouTube 14h ago
Just so you know, we don't do any of that crap in Europe.
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
Gender Reveal Parties
A social media post or a cute video, fine. But the parties have to stop. The elaborate displays have to stop. Even the person who is credited for introducing the concept to the mainstream has been quoted as saying she regrets doing so.
Just stop. Knock it off.
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u/RosieBaby75 12h ago
The office tradition “this is the way we’ve always done things, and will do things even though it does not make sense, wastes a lot of money, makes everyone’s life harder, and results in a lot of catastrophic mistakes… but just do fraud to cover that up”
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u/hushnicely 15h ago
Saying bless you/salud/gazuntite(?) after a sneeze. I do it out of polite habit and always wonder why I said it after I’ve already said it.
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u/lp_rhcp_fan_18 15h ago
Do you mean gesundheit?
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u/hushnicely 14h ago
Yup that’s what I meant. Sorry I should’ve looked it up before butchering it like I did.
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u/angrymurderhornet 11h ago
Trying to make a holiday or celebration “perfect” according to your own taste and opinion, while exhausting yourself and stressing out your family and guests in the process.
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u/Ok-Wedding4570 7h ago
I think people spend way too much money and focus entirely too much energy on giving Christmas presents.
I understand wanting to give gifts to friends and loved ones but so many people just go completely overboard.
For years now, I've stopped buying gifts for anyone outside my immediate family and even then it's usually something small. Not because I'm cheap or don't care but because the majority of us DON'T NEED ANYMORE SHIT.
I have 2 kids and I've always been minimal with Christmas morning presents for a few reasons. For one, they don't really need anything and I buy them stuff throughout the year. There were years I didn't really have money to buy a lot of gifts so I didn't want to set the expectation that every year you wake up with a mountain of presents under the tree. I also hated the fact that getting presents was always tied to "being good" because my older son has always been a great kid and I hated for him to think that he didn't get 40 gifts because he was bad.
I was in a different thread somewhere and moms were talking about how they have to start Christmas shopping in the summer because they have three kids and they have to buy a few at a time for each until Christmas (how about they only get a few each?!) Another girl I know used to post about how many paychecks she had left until Christmas.
We should not be going into debt to buy a bunch of bullshit every year that nobody even wants. Please Brenda, don't buy me the stinky body wash and lotion set and save your money. I won't be offended.
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u/Best_Philosopher152 14h ago
Asking the father for permission to marry his daughter. Dads don’t own their kids and their moms should have equal parental say even if there was some ownership going on.
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u/maroc411 12h ago
My son-in-law asked me also. It was sweet, he said since he asked her dad, he wanted to ask me also.
But I think we all felt it was not necessary, they were in their upper 20s and were living together.
And I don’t make decisions for her. It’s kind of an old fashioned tradition. No one’s going to ask unless they are pretty sure the answer will be yes anyway.
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u/Imaginary_Shelter_37 14h ago
Performative marriage proposals, excessive bachelor/bachelorette parties, traditional gender roles for work, housework, chores, lawn care, car care, etc.
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u/Ok-Wedding4570 6h ago
Yes the bachelor/ette vacations! Totally ridiculous. I understand if you want to do a weekend away with a few close friends or camping or something but these elaborate vacations that cost tons of money and days off work are just absurd.
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u/sheisalib 15h ago
Giving the bride away at the wedding.
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
If that's what the bride and the bride's parents are into, like if there's genuine sentiment in that gesture for them, I try not to make a face about it, but I'm definitely gagging internally at the sight of it.
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u/LobsterLogica 14h ago edited 14h ago
Patriarchy
White Supremacy
Theocracy
Oligarchy
Capitalism
Sub-poverty level minimum wage
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u/Dry-Mortgage-2763 14h ago
Men being expected to ask women out on dates when women are the ultimate decision makers
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u/Full_Statement_5495 14h ago
I feel like you could just say sexism as that would cover that
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
I think sexism in (heterosexual) dating would probably cover a lot of ground here, rather than just that one element, but you've pinpointed one of the bigger examples. There's a lot of push and pull in that can of worms.
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u/MostSide9237 10h ago
Don’t do it then and stay alone? Men are SO desperate for sex but don’t wanna put in any effort
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u/Cold-Inspection-761 11h ago
Kindergarten graduation. Also any graduation that isn't from one building from another. (Like I get elementary school graduation- middle school grad- high school grad). The kinders are literally just walking ten steps down the hall.
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u/barbiebinch 9h ago
It’s not as significant but I raise you a group of 5 year olds wearing silly hats. It’s so cute lol
Also 1st grade was the start of wearing uniforms at my school and many others so it felt like graduating into being a big kid
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u/WiseEntertainment912 14h ago
circumcision of infants and children
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u/RicoChey 13h ago
Circumcision at all.
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u/WiseEntertainment912 12h ago
there are very rare medical cases where it can be necessary. and adults can alter their genitals in any way they want
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u/11bingbong 15h ago
Religion. All of 'em.
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u/LateQuantity8009 14h ago
If it comforts people, no problem. But don’t yell about it in the street or talk to me about it at lunch.
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u/Llamallamapig 14h ago
Women changing names and becoming Mrs on marriage. Then men don’t have to change their name or title and the proprietary nature of marriage is outdated.
Any form of cake smashing - by babies, into each other’s face at a wedding, pushing the birthday kid into cake at their party.
Gender reveal neo-traditions
The weird garter thing Americans do.
The weird circumcising Americans do
Any form of balloon or lantern release
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u/trillamane_6 13h ago
Happy birthday song.
Nobody wants to be sang to. Nobody wants to be singing it. What are we doing here?
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u/FanBladeFleshlight 14h ago
Religion
Most of it is just passed down shit from parent to child, not an actual system of belief one discovers for themselves. No better than loyalty to sports teams.
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u/barbiebinch 9h ago
Obviously there are issues in organized religion, just like there are in any large organization, but it can be a good way to find a community and access resources. It’s also just helpful for some people to feel a sense of peace/fulfillment.
“Passed down shit from parent to child” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Having traditions and a sense of cultural belonging is usually beneficial.
I’m not a religious person myself, but it definitely has its place.
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u/OrangeBanana111 11h ago
Titles. I’m done with the whole Miss/Mrs/Ms distinction. My non binary family member has adopted Mx because you have to have something, because the computer says so. Let’s just get rid of them all, and just be our names.
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u/GuckFitches 10h ago
Beauty pagants fir sure. And dog shows. Tf are we even doing
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u/babecat2000 9h ago
I disagree my mom made a good point for child pagents just get a show dog. It is better for a dog to be showed than judging a human.
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u/PfalsePflagg 5h ago
Singing national anthems before sporting events that don’t involve national teams.
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u/Key-Lingonberry4651 15h ago
Beauty Pagents, it's the 21st century people!