When Is Lent 2015? How Long Is It? What Should I Give Up This Year?

Pancake Tuesday has come and gone, and Lent is officially upon us.

The period of Lent, a Christian tradition that marks the 40 years that Israelites spent in the wilderness, or the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, lasts this year from Feb. 18 to April 2, 2015.

While traditionally, Lent is about turning away from sin, non-Christians have adopted it as a time in which they give up indulgences such as rich food (hence Pancake Tuesday right beforehand).

But we can think of a few other things that people might want to consider denying themselves for the next 40 days, and beyond.

Here are 18 things to give up for Lent, and forever.

Apologies aside, his music is annoying and he's seems to have become an arrogant jerk. We're all better off without him.

A movie release is a sure sign that a phenomenon is coming to an end. This can't come soon enough for "Fifty Shades."

If Shrove Tuesday means anything to you, you will have given up pancakes already by now. While you may go back to flapjacks, let's all trade in the Old Tyme and Aunt Jemima for pure maple, shall we?

They are never going to be better. So let's just give up now and save ourselves some serious cash, shall we?

Let's face it: the juice cleanse is a get-thin-quick scheme that can also be dangerous. Weight loss is a lifestyle change; we should treat it that way, and not as something temporary.

Let's also stop listening to celebrities for health advice in general. (Yes, that's Jenny McCarthy.)

It's made with the same ingredients that go into gym mats and shoe soles.

Let's be honest: its coffee is inferior to other options out there, and its doughnuts taste no better than sponge. It's not even really Canadian anymore, so patriotism isn't even a factor.

It has almost certainly jumped itself by now.

Nothing is epic unless it was written by Homer, Virgil or Dante.

#We #thought #this #would #be #finished #by #now #.

Or any form of condescension, really.

We use Twitter for short bursts of insight, not long, digital equivalents of university lectures.

(Photo by Esther Edell)

If you're a woman, this applies to you too — it's anyone taking up more room on transit than they have to.

Think first. Don't just react to something that offends you without understanding its context.

Exceptions can be made for travel to and from the gym, but at work? Definitely not.

How often do you REALLY watch TV? When "Game of Thrones" is on? Maybe a few hockey games a year? There are other, cheaper ways to watch these programs.

Lent isn't about denying yourself the things you love. It's about Christians giving up sin for good and deepening their faith as a result.

That said, we're probably all better off if we do without the things mentioned above.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story used the adjective "Lenten" in a misleading manner, and made a single reference to Lent as a Catholic, and not a broader Christian tradition. The story has been updated.