Black Thursday????

I don't have any cards to share today, but I just really needed to share some thoughts on tomorrow's upcoming holiday...you know, Black Thursday.  What?  It's Thanksgiving you say???  Really???

It seems every year, stores are opening earlier and earlier for "Black Friday Sales" - well yeah, most of them are now open on THANKSGIVING to avoid someone getting trampled at the door, or riots. 

REALLY????  Is this what has become of society?

When I was younger, I always thought Black Friday sales were a bunch of hooey anyway - I'd rather sleep in if I had the day off, but I will admit to being out there at 5am in recent years to catch some deals at Kohl's, or Michaels.  They do have some great deals, but things are just getting out of hand now.

I read an article the other day about a guy who works for Target, who started a petition because he has to go into work at 10pm Thursday night, to be there when the store opens at midnight.  Some of the comments following the article really struck a nerve with me. 

I get that the economy sucks, despite what "the officials" say, trust me, I live it.  Paycheck to paycheck (or less), and luckily (one of the things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving) is that both my husband and I are both employed.  But to belittle this guy and begrudge him for wanting the day off to spend with his fiance making plans for their upcoming wedding with her family just seems downright awful.

Thanksgiving is SUPPOSED to be about spending time with family and friends, enjoying each other's company, and making memories.  Life has us all so busy during the REST of the year, the holidays are the only time some have to be together, and now THAT is being taken away, because we have to buy a big screen TV for $200...so that's where our priorities are, huh?  I think it's pretty disgraceful.

Ok, yeah, so you don't have family, and you want to score a great deal on a laptop - but the guy selling it to you had to miss dinner with his family the day before so he could get a few hours of sleep before he had to be in to work by 11pm, to be treated nasty by the people clawing over eachother to get the last one....

At this rate, why don't we forget about Thanksgiving, and just call it the National Day of Scoring a Good Deal on Useless Crap.

I don't begrudge anyone a good deal, to make their budget stretch further (I've been eyeing the sales) but I am TRULY bothered by the stores who are open ON Thanksgiving, or those that are opening on or just before midnight, because "Polls show that people would like to go out shopping after Thanksgiving dinner".  PLEASE.  Stay home, watch some movies, eat another piece of pie, and get some sleep to start shopping at 5 am. 

To those that still truly VALUE the holiday tomorrow, and what it means, I wish you, from the bottom of my heart, a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING... I will be the one on the couch with a piece of pie, watching movies... and maybe I'll head out to the stores early Friday, to pick over what the vultures have left behind...to all the rest...enjoy Black Thursday, or Happy National Day of Scoring a Great Deal on Useless Crap!