"Black Friday" are those infamous words we hear following Thanksgiving that send chills down our spines and cause our wallets to go into shock. No matter how many pairs of $20 boots we have, we can always make room in our closet for more. Usually on Black Friday, there are a few really good deals on items and the rest is an average sale. We all need a new TV every year, right? By going shopping, we can find a few deals that are impossible to pass up, but do we need it? What is black Friday doing to Americans?
Thanksgiving is a day meant to be spent with family or friends enjoying each other and a dinner and time spent together. Sounds wonderful right? Black Friday is ruining it. What used to start in the early morning hours of the day after Thanksgiving now starts in the afternoon of the day meant to be spent with family with stores closed. Brown Thursday will soon be the biggest shopping day. In an effort to commercialize a special holiday, stores are ruining the special holiday Thanksgiving used to be. People now have to decide if they will spend time with family over dinner or save a "ton" on that vest Belk has for sale. Where is the spirit in that? The fact that people must even think about that decision shows the direction our society is heading. Money is the only thing people care about.
What about the holiday workers? Just because they work at a retail store does not mean they don't have a family to spend time with as well. For many people, if you refuse to work the holiday you get fired. For a struggling mother, where is the Christmas spirit in forcing her to work on Thanksgiving so you can save 30 percent off an item that was recently marked up by 40 percent? In the American economy, if something is effective, the stores will do it again more drastically. What does this mean for us? Next year sales will start Thanksgiving morning. They have a laptop on a tremendous sale, lunch with Grandma can wait, right?
Wrong. No matter how much your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins annoy you, they will not always be there. Maybe you justify shopping Thanksgiving afternoon by saying you'll see them at Christmas dinner. But will you? No one is given a guarantee of tomorrow, and Thanksgiving is a day reserved for fellowship. Not focusing on racing someone to grab the last sale TV.
Over the years, seven people have died and 98 people have been injured related to black Friday shopping. Was it worth it? All the rushing and fighting, for what? When it becomes more important to save money than to save someone's life, there is a fundamental problem with society. As we look forward to Christmas, let's not get caught up on presents, money, and savings. Let us focus on the reason for the season or the holiday. For some people, this is religious reasons, or family gatherings, or personal reasons. Gift giving is an aspect of the Holidays but should not be the headlining reason. Show your appreciation for others in new ways. Volunteer, give meals to the homeless or make a homemade craft. Focus on the appreciation of life and less on the shopping that so many people think is the reason for Christmas.
