Black Friday is a day of the year well-known by most Americans; it’s a day when you can “shop ‘till you drop” and get the best deals on products in almost every store.  But what about the day before it?  Thanksgiving, a national holiday known for giving thanks, and sharing food with family.  It’s a day when billions of people take a moment to think about how thankful they are, and celebrate “giving” rather than “getting.”  

“Giving” rather than “getting.”  Seems like a bit of an ancient concept now with stores opening early on Thanksgiving so that shoppers can come even earlier and get whatever they may want on an incredible deal.  Take shoes, clothes, purses, cars, toys, at any major retail store, and BINGO!  You’ve got a deal.

But is that really what Thanksgiving is all about?  Should we relish in the joy of buying that new purse “half-off” as opposed to giving thanks with our families for what we already have?  Black Friday typically starts the day after Thanksgiving, and never before.  But major stores like Kmart, Walmart, Macy’s, and Target are opening on Thanksgiving in order to get shoppers started early.  Your average shopper, and eager Christmas shopper alike may celebrate this amazing, new early opening.  But some, like me, are hardened by this.  

First of all, I’d like to start out by saying I’m not against getting a great deal on an amazing new piece of clothing, or taking advantage of a store’s incredible sales.  But it just doesn’t sit right with me that people are leaving their families on Thanksgiving to snag items on sale in stores across the United States.  

I recently found a new appreciation for Thanksgiving, since my family hosted the meal at our house this year.  I spent hours with my family, eating an array of Thanksgiving classics, and giving thanks to the things that really matter in life.  Spending time with my family is one of them.  “Shopping” was not one of the things that came up.  Surprising?  Not to me.    

These stores are giving Thanksgiving a whole different meaning.  People shouldn’t be encouraged to buy new things on a holiday that is supposed to stimulate reflecting in gratitude to what you already have.  Think back to the reason Thanksgiving started.  Remember those Native Americans that helped the English settlers who arrived on the Mayflower in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts?  Remember how they taught the settlers to use their resources on this new unfamiliar land?  Remember how the Native Americans brought them in like family, and shared their dinner table with them?  

That was the first Thanksgiving, the reason we celebrate the holiday, in case it was forgotten.  Break down the word:  Thanks; giving.  It means to give thanks for what you have, and not to fret over what you do not.  Stores are encouraging Americans to go on in a frenzy, looking for the best deals on something new to buy.  I’m not sure what happened to appreciation and gratitude on this holiday, but as I begin to grow more conscious of the world and people around me as I get older, I notice that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is ever so slowly slipping from the minds of many Americans across the country.  

I cherish the fact that I have the ability to spend the whole day with my family to share the dinner table with people whom I love.  I appreciate the fact that a whole day is dedicated to giving thanks, and not asking for more than I already have.  It puzzles me that people are willing to sacrifice this day to spend with their family for shopping.  

Also, think about the employees in these stores.  What about them?  Have we forgotten that they have families, too?  Sure, they’re getting extra pay and other advantages, but in the long run, what does it matter when compared to family?  This extra day for work seems to be forcing people to stay away from their families.  If they have the opportunity to work an extra day, many employees at these retailers would take if they need the extra money, thus, forcefully being separated from their families.  It is not fair to them that they are “obligated” to work on Thanksgiving because of their economical situation.  Why does the fact that some are in poverty affect how they get to celebrate with their families?  Everyone has a right to celebrate Thanksgiving, so why should the struggling employees be pulled away from that?  I, for one, would refuse to work on Thanksgiving, because no matter how much someone could offer me, my family is the most important, and that is what Thanksgiving is all about.  

Stores, please feel free to stay put on Friday; don’t leak your sales into America’s Thanksgiving Day.  Oh, and take a day of rest and reflection for yourself, too, because it seems like you need it.