It’s Black Friday, the official opening of Shopping Season, perhaps the biggest day of the year for retail sales. The countdown to Christmas begins today, and for many people the spending scoreboard has begun to tick off the days while adding up the gifts.
The day after Thanksgiving is also a holiday for many Americans. Some employers give them the day off and some people use that time to joyfully hit the stores. Only now the shopping is actually starting on Thanksgiving Day. What better way to walk off too much turkey than to walk around the aisles of a huge store?
Well, there’s nothing wrong with shopping, as long as we stay within our budget, and this is not a criticism. After all, no store would have opened on Thanksgiving unless there were people going to them. And some of us do have gifts to buy before Christmas. Still, we cringe at visions of crazed athletic moms competing for the last LeapFrog LeapPad or Furby toy. Tales of store stampedes where weaker contestants are trampled remind us of the goal of Black Friday: He who has the most toys, wins.
It seems like only yesterday, we were all counting our blessings and remembering the joy of family, spending the day with loved ones if we could or thinking warm thoughts of those far away. Only yesterday, it seems, we knew that material things pale in importance to kinship, friendship and reflection.
Actually, it was only yesterday that we celebrated Thanksgiving. Are we still thankful today?