Image by adria.richards via Flickr

There is no question that our world and culture is degrading fast. The evidence is so overwhelming that there just isn’t any way to deny it. In fact it all

seems so intertwined and complex that it is even hard to find a loose thread to attack. But this week in the supermarket I realized something important- we have eliminated Thanksgiving.

 Does that mean the Football games are cancelled?

I don’t mean that it has been abolished or anything so blatant, what I noticed is that we have removed all the respect that we used to award our National Holiday.

My first clue was when the seasonal aisle at the supermarket was revised after Halloween. The candy and decorations were sold off at half price one day and the next day, the clerks were busy putting up the next holiday items. It was the first week in November and they were getting ready for Christmas. What happened to Thanksgiving- our national holiday? Last year I distinctly remember Thanksgiving decorations and gear. Not this year. Thanksgiving has stopped being a celebration of our country and become a convenient start of the Shopping Season, formerly known as Christmas.

No more last minute panic.

In the old days, you needed to get everything you needed for your Thanksgiving feast by Wednesday because it was almost a national rite for everyone to spend Thanksgiving overeating with friends and family. Smart people did it earlier because of the last minute shopping on Wednesday. But everybody knew to get it all done before Thanksgiving. On the big day itself, stores weren’t open because nobody needed to shop. They had an important holiday to celebrate.

These days the big event is not Thanksgiving. It is Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) with loads of shopping bargains. Instead of lying around digesting people were willing to get up early and stand in line to get special deals. What can I say? People are nuts.

But this year, Black Friday is not enough. Stores will start giving those special prices on Thanksgiving Day, opening in the evening or even all day. These days Thanksgiving, instead of being a day of national celebration marks the beginning of Shopping Season. All the major stores are open.

So much for our family’s celebration.

A consequence of this decision for our family and many others is that family members will be working all day on Thanksgiving. As a consequence, we will be celebrating our Thanksgiving on Tuesday. It is crazy. What we will do on Thursday we don’t know yet but it sure as heck won’t be shopping.

I’ve never understood the attraction of Black Friday but it always seemed a harmless way to use a day off and get your Christmas shopping done at the same time. But now, when the almighty dollar compels stores to start their selling on Thanksgiving, I draw the line. Something has gone terribly wrong with the country. We need to take time to celebrate our country with our families. It defeats the purpose of a holiday when it becomes a commercial event.

 So who’s to blame?

I don’t blame the retailers because their job is to make money and apparently there is more money to rake in by staying open. What I blame is the people who shop on Thanksgiving. Where are their priorities and why don’t they have a place to go and something more important to do than chasing bargains?

Image via Wikipedia

For me, I personally make a point of buying what I need before Thanksgiving. I don’t want to encourage any retailers or reward them for staying open or put any more families in our sorry state. But I’m clearly in the minority. Are any of you diehard Black Friday and now Thanksgiving Day shoppers willing

to share your thoughts? And for you old fashioned folk,has commercialization of Thanksgiving made your Holiday celebration more difficult? The Coots want to know.

Ralph

Ralph is the inspiration for Cantankerous Old Coots and is our Grand Duke of Cantankerousness

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