This Thanksgiving was a very special holiday for me this year. It was the first turkey day (or ham day, as we did it) in my husband's and my first home. We had a gathering of family and friends that, despite a lack of space and chairs, turned out to be quite wonderful. We had enough food to feed an army and yet were blessed with very few leftovers (thank God! My fridge is already full). But I think what I loved most about our holiday is that we didn't spend hours in line at some store.
This may turn into a bit of a rant, and if so I apologize, but I find it absolutely despicable that Walmart and other major retailers have turned Thanksgiving into an extension of black friday. I may be lucky enough to have one of the few retail jobs that don't require me to work on Thanksgiving (we'll see how long that lasts), but a lot of people don't. Workers are pulled away from their families so that shoppers can move quickly through the thanks and family part of the holiday in order to literally fight with each other over flatscreen TV's and other things that they don't really need. With trends like these towards black friday on thursday, Thanksgiving is no longer about giving thanks, but rather about getting things. The CEO's of these companies are eating turkey and raking in the millions, while their employees are being mauled by crowds of crazies, and it is all supported by every person that leaves their Thanksgiving dinner to hit that 6 p.m. sale.
I have never participated in the black friday thing personally. I don't have the patience. I did try, last year, to go to Walmart to buy my husband a TV, but saw the lines snaking around the store and said screw that. There is no deal good enough to make that okay. I saw something on the news about people bringing tents, food, and microwaves and camping out outside of best buy a week before black friday in order to seal the sales. What could possibly be that good? I'll take my warm bed and home cooked meals over $100 off a computer any day. Maybe I'm just weird.
I understand that Christmas is coming and everyone is looking for a good deal. I totally get that. Buying gifts for everyone can easily break the bank not even considering the cost of a giant ham and christmas decorations and travel expenses. But really, that's not what's important. I love the holidays as a chance to spend time with the people I care about. I don't need anymore than that and I don't think anyone else should either.
The best gift for me these days for me is a morning spent sleeping in with the hubby. I don't think it's fair to take that away from anyone in exchange for just another day of profit.