It is Thanksgiving Day 2008, so Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Last night I was at home preparing for the Thanksgiving feast that my son and I are going to attend today. I rented a movie, and he invited a chum of his to spend the night. After the movie we were channel surfing and settled on Iron Chef. The original Iron Chef from Japan not the crappy American knock off on The Food Channel. Well, and I kid you not dear reader, the commercials were all, and I mean EVERYONE COTTON PICKING ONE OF THEM, were about the "Early Bird" sales at all of the stores the day after Thanksgiving.
Walmart is opening at 3AM in our area. 3AM! Walgreens at 7AM (not too bad but they open usually around 9. And really, what kind of Christmas gift are you going to buy there? "Thanks Gramma for the Geritol and Depends. Wherever did you find them?") Macy's is opening at 5Am, and so is Kohl's. And Target. And K-Mart.
So, now retailers are urging people to shorten there Thanksgiving by going to bed early so they can get up and SAVE, SAVE, SAVE by bombarding TV viewers with commercials about their early openings the night before Thanksgiving thereby chipping away at the peace that should come the night before a holiday and taking their focus off of the the holiday right in front of them and throwing it on one four weeks away. More is not necessarily better.
As I father I like to get each child one present that means something to them instead of getting them a ton of things, which is what retailers urge us to do. How bad would it be if we started giving one quality present to those whom we give gifts to? Would it cause the economy to collapse anymore than it already has? Would our Christmases be ruined? Would the extra time spent in each other's company on Thanksgiving be overbearing?
Well, I know I seem like a crotchety old man venting about things he can't change. But the thing is WE can change them if we think the changes are worth having and fighting for. It wasn't always like this, and it doesn't have to be. The question that we need to ask ourselves is, "What is it that we really want?" And how we answer this question will tell everything about who we are as a nation.
Just something to think about, and perhaps even discuss at the dinner table today. So, go eat, drink, and be merry and bask in the warmth of the day.
Happiest of Thanksgivings!
Mac
2 comments:
You crotchety old man.
Seriously, though. I avoid avoid avoid Black Friday (I guess it's a side-effect of working retail, where it was EXPECTED that you work the day after Thanksgiving, family be damned) like the Plague.
This year, the grownups have decided to each give a donation to a charity instead of giving each other gifts. I think it's a welcome change from getting another coffee mug.
//k
I remember the pressure from working at Pier 1 with you. I hated, and still do, Black Friday.
I like you idea of donating to charity. One that I believe in WHOLEHEARTEDLY is the Steven C. Ward Needs A New Pair of Shoes Foundation. You should look into, or you guys can send me your donations and I will make sure that they get to the proper authorities.
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