In Memorandum: Thanksgiving

Remember a little holiday called Thanksgiving?   It was a day to slow down and remember all our blessings.  It was a day to eat too much comfort food and generally relax and recharge with family.

However, in recent years those beautiful Thanksgiving traditions are dying a slow and painful death.  Thanksgiving dinner is disappearing because folks too busy getting in line to shop or being forced to work to feed the shopping frenzy.  As a former retail worker I hate this with every fiber of my being.   Thanksgiving is one of only three days my store was closed (Christmas and Easter being the other two) and it was the day to rest up for the hell that was Christmas shopping season.   Even now, almost 20 years after my stint in retail came to an end, I refuse to shop on Black Friday and there is no way in God’s Green Earth I will ever go on Thanksgiving Day.  I will not contribute to the death of Thanksgiving as a holiday and a day of rest.

However, I am cheered by the small signs that maybe Thanksgiving isn’t dead, but just on life support.  The Mall of America announced that they will be closed until Black Friday this year after having been open on Thanksgiving the past 3 years.  They join a list of 40 plus retailers including Von Maur, Pier 1 Imports, JoAnn Fabrics, and Burlington Coat Factory who have also announced that they will not open until Friday.

I urge everyone to ask themselves if that cheap knock off TV or laptop is REALLY more important than spending time with their loved ones.  I know that for me the answer is “HELL NO” and I would hope that would be the answer for you as well.