I'm not going to bust on the door busters here. I understand the economic idea of Black Friday, of the fun of making memories shopping, and the fact that, although Christmas decorations have been up since before Halloween, the Christmas "season" starts once Thanksgiving is over. So be it. Y'all have fun going shopping while I sleep in on Friday.
But seriously, people.
I got a circular this week advertising the "doorbuster" for a local craft store. They will be open on Thursday (that's Thanksgiving, in case you weren't aware) from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Assuming you eat dinner at 2 p.m. (my goal but never my reality), you've barely got time to down your dessert, carry your plates to the kitchen and dash out to bust down the doors of your local craft supply store.
What happened to Thanksgiving?
I know not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, but most Americans do, regardless of religious background. If the stores were closed all day on Thursday (with a nod to those who really want to go shopping at 12:00 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving), no one would complain.
Can we not set aside one day - one full day - to rest, to be thankful, to be with family or friends, to focus on helping other people - without the lure of a great sale or a great deal that we might miss out on if we don't run out the door to go shopping?
Just sayin'.
Remember the movie "Field of Dreams" - "If you build it, they will come..."
The same could be said of store sales. If the stores are open, people will be there, justifying the choice to have the stores open in the first place.
Unless....
Unless we resist the lure of stuff and a saved dollar. Unless we dig in our heels and tell the American marketplace, "Enough! You will NOT have this Thursday, this holiday, this celebration that, for the most part, has escaped the rat race."
Will you join me? On Thanksgiving, be radical - enjoy a meal and a celebration with family and friends. I don't care where (even restaurants - I understand that not everyone can be in a home for Thanksgiving). If you can't, or don't want to, then go volunteer at a shelter or hospital and spread some love to others. But make it a day about giving thanks and giving to others, not the almighty dollar. If a store has a doorbuster on Thursday (and no, I'm not talking about supermarkets and pharmacies and restaurants and the like, for whose employees I am thankful on behalf of those who truly need the things they sell, even on Thanksgiving), don't go. If no one goes, maybe we can roll back the calendar and reclaim Thanksgiving afternoon.
There. That's my two cents. And you don't even need to go to a doorbuster to save it.
But seriously, people.
I got a circular this week advertising the "doorbuster" for a local craft store. They will be open on Thursday (that's Thanksgiving, in case you weren't aware) from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Assuming you eat dinner at 2 p.m. (my goal but never my reality), you've barely got time to down your dessert, carry your plates to the kitchen and dash out to bust down the doors of your local craft supply store.
What happened to Thanksgiving?
I know not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving, but most Americans do, regardless of religious background. If the stores were closed all day on Thursday (with a nod to those who really want to go shopping at 12:00 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving), no one would complain.
Can we not set aside one day - one full day - to rest, to be thankful, to be with family or friends, to focus on helping other people - without the lure of a great sale or a great deal that we might miss out on if we don't run out the door to go shopping?
Just sayin'.
Remember the movie "Field of Dreams" - "If you build it, they will come..."
The same could be said of store sales. If the stores are open, people will be there, justifying the choice to have the stores open in the first place.
Unless....
Unless we resist the lure of stuff and a saved dollar. Unless we dig in our heels and tell the American marketplace, "Enough! You will NOT have this Thursday, this holiday, this celebration that, for the most part, has escaped the rat race."
Will you join me? On Thanksgiving, be radical - enjoy a meal and a celebration with family and friends. I don't care where (even restaurants - I understand that not everyone can be in a home for Thanksgiving). If you can't, or don't want to, then go volunteer at a shelter or hospital and spread some love to others. But make it a day about giving thanks and giving to others, not the almighty dollar. If a store has a doorbuster on Thursday (and no, I'm not talking about supermarkets and pharmacies and restaurants and the like, for whose employees I am thankful on behalf of those who truly need the things they sell, even on Thanksgiving), don't go. If no one goes, maybe we can roll back the calendar and reclaim Thanksgiving afternoon.
There. That's my two cents. And you don't even need to go to a doorbuster to save it.
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