Thanks, Big Box Stores, for Ruining Thanksgiving

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Thanksgiving was regarded as the beginning of the holiday season. Store Christmas decorations didn't go up until the day for thanks had been celebrated.  

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was the official arrival of Santa. 

Today, however, Thanksgiving has become nothing more than the starting gun for a race to Black Friday deals and, sadly, Santa arrived in the mall shortly after Halloween.

Friends have told me disappointing stories this year. They have bemoaned how their family doesn’t want to get together this year because Mom and Sis are going out that night for the almighty Black Friday deals. is opening at 10 p.m. Thursday and two hours later, don’t you know?!? 

No grand turkey dinners for 12; no thankful prayers over the bounty. Now, Thanksgiving Day has turned into mad shopping preparation.

I feel badly for the employees of these Scrooge stores. They can’t spend time with their families. They have to sleep so they can be up all night taking care of customers.

Thanksgiving Day has been sacrificed for commercialism.

It’s this type of attitude that has helped along the breakdown of the family unit.

We, as a nation, need to get Thanksgiving back. Get our holiday of family, blessings and togetherness back. 

Merchants have turned to campaigns of, “We’ll be open first,” and “We’ll be open all night so you don’t have to stand outside.”  (Gee, thanks so much for your considerate store hours...)

Radio and television commercials promote selfishness and over-spending. They make anyone without the means to buy every toy or gadget available feel worthless or, worse yet, they encourage them to max out their credit cards in an unstable economy in an attempt to keep up.

Best Buy has an appalling commercial in which Mom greets Santa on Christmas Eve night with a cup of coffee in her hand. Her family's stockings are stuffed to overflowing, leaving Santa no place to put his gift. She haughtily smiles at him as she says in the snarkiest tone, “Oh, I guess I didn’t leave any room for you. Awkward.” Then she suggests he could put the gift in the dog's empty stocking as she flounces off to bed, leaving Santa feeling rather useless. Nice morals to promote there, Best Buy.

There is a Pier One commercial that suggests you rig the office gift exchange so you get your own name in order and buy yourself the gift you want instead of giving someone else a gift. 

And then there is the Kindle commercial where the woman says, “It is better to receive than give.” Really?

What are we saying to the younger generation? We are enabling the “Age of Entitlement” by promoting this selfish outlook and over indulgence.  

Yet, there is a glimmer of hope. Has anyone seen the Nordstrom sign yet? 

It reads:

WE WON’T BE DECKING OUR HALLS UNTIL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH.

WHY?  WELL, WE JUST LIKE THE IDEA OF CELEBRATING ONE HOLIDAY AT A TIME.

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Kudos to them for realizing the greediness that the other “big box stores” have created. The likes of the Walmart and Best Buy have generated such a frenzy over Christmas that they have taken the meaning out of the entire holiday season. 

What’s next? Post Christmas sales starting on Dec. 25? Open your gifts and head to the store to exchange them because we never get what we really want anyway.

No thank you.

This Mom is going to be celebrating Thanksgiving with family, friends and my beautiful goddaughter, who will be attending her first Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for this year and we intend to give thanks, not peruse the adverts looking for the best deal while strapping on gym shoes and cross checking the Christmas list.

Happy Thanksgiving, from my family to yours.