There has been quite a heated series of ongoing facebook debates taking place recently, it’s actually a two-part internet interconnected debate both pertaining to similar subjects. The first is the question of when it is appropriate to begin celebrating the Christmas season. I personally have always waited until AFTER Thanksgiving for the decorations, the music, the shopping, all the rest. I go all out and really get into the spirit and it lasts until the first week of January (Little Christmas). Each post-Turkey Day week brought something special, leading all the way up to the Feast of the 7 Fishes and big meaty roast and celebration on the 25^th of December and then into New Years.

I always thought everyone did it like this but in recent years I see folks beginning to start it earlier and earlier. That’s fine, that’s their prerogative and I would never dictate how and when one should enjoy themselves with their families and traditions. It’s really silly to argue it, I happen to savor the season and take it slow, my life is hectic all the time so to me it’s not about the malls and the hustle and bustle and then taking it all down. That’s just me, I am old school and I follow certain rules and routines with my family. But it’s all personal choice.

Now the second part, and real heated part of this debate is the whole Endangered Thanksgiving situation. What that is, is a very real and very scary thing that’s happening and it’s really not something that should be casually chatted about via social media. It’s a serious subject that needs to be addressed and I am trying to start a Save Thanksgiving Movement which I hope more join to really bring this problem to the attention of the masses. Look, if you want to start your shopping on Halloween that’s your business just like it’s your business if you want to sing carols on November 1^st.

In fact, many of the stores have actually begun the seasonal promotions the day after Halloween. I think that’s nuts, but it is what it is. However, that being said, it becomes my business when the retail business makes it seem abnormal for one to want to do things the old school way—abstaining from shopping on Thanksgiving but rather giving thanks for what you have which is supposed to be the intent! Yet society has gotten so out of whack that if you don’t start early you are somehow considered a bad American? That’s why I don’t take this lightly and as someone who believes in the slippery slope theory, I feel it’s a cause to fight for. This is affecting our culture and is a society issue which is a microcosm of the big picture in our shifting landscape of mixed up priorities and decaying morals. 

Basically what’s occurring is, in recent years but even more this current year, the idea of going shopping ON THANKSGIVING is getting more and more common and more and more encouraged. This is a money-grabbing scheme perpetuated by these big box stores, more and more of which are choosing to open not on Black Friday but now have created “Black Thursday” a faux shopping holiday that starts the Christmas season early and is slowly trying to become part of the Thanksgiving festivities (which, if they have their way will dominate the Thanksgiving activities—making it not quite festive at all but rather a day of physically trampling over your neighbor to get those few bucks off a TV set rather than being at home with the Detroit Lions playing on the set you already have.)

Ok, I am all for free market and free enterprise and making money and the whole deal. In fact, I am not even totally against working for a few hours in the morning of Thanksgiving if need be, and I will have a few trays of food to deliver but then will be home all afternoon and evening to enjoy the holiday. That’s right; Thanksgiving is and always will be a holiday—there is no such thing as “Black Thursday” and unless we unite to boycott the idea that shopping should dominate the day, Thanksgiving will indeed become extinct. To me, Turkey Day was always my favorite of the holiday season…from the food to the football games to every aspect of it.

No one thing dominated over the other, it was always a day of just relaxing and being at home with friends and family and officially easing your way into the beginning of the season of giving. By so many stores opening on this day it undermines what it’s supposed to be all about and what it was always about since the beginning of time. Like I said, I am old school so these new trends tend to upset me, but this one really hits close to home because I feel like I am almost being forced by the endless advertisements about going to K-Mart and other stores to join the brainwashed sheep and go camp out in the parking lot with my coupons.

This is not about “working on a holiday,” that’s not the crux of the issue. It’s how these retail giants are trying to take away the importance of mine and so many others favorite holiday. Yes I get it, some people HAVE to work like police and hospital and other professions. But the people who do those jobs know full well going in that that’s the case and many usually alternate from year to year. As I said, I even put in a few hours being in the catering business. And that’s all the more reason why a non-necessity company like a retail store has no business doing business on this day. Again, if it wasn’t constantly rammed down my throat it would be a non-issue, but these corporations are truly trying to marginalize and minimize Thanksgiving and turn it into their day, when one can go shopping any day before or after Thanksgiving.

The worst part about it all is that the CEO’s of these stores are sitting home with their families and the little guy is getting screwed because if he/she wants to take the day off they are threatened with being fired. How’s that for holiday spirit? To me, that’s disgusting. It’s not like we are talking about mom and pop independent places here who truly need the money, we are talking about extremely wealthy chain stores who just want to open their doors and make more and more money while their cashiers are paid pennies and, as I said, get fired if they even ask for the day off. That is so wrong and so un-American. You may think I am being contradictory in trying to influence people to not go shopping on this particular day if that’s their choice. Let me reiterate, this is not about one having the option to shop or not to shop. It’s about the collusion between these stores and the mass media to try and make shopping the ONLY option.

We all need to unite in this cause and not go shopping on this day, if we did that they would not open next year and this whole thing will end and Thanksgiving will be saved. If not, the commercialization of this season will get worse and worse and worse. Linus had it all figured out way back in the 1960’s and here we are about to enter 2015 and are dealing with this. The only way we can prevent the extinction of the true meaning of this entire holiday season is to take a stance and make it clear that on the fourth Thursday of November, that day should never be dominated by long crowded aisles with seekers of deals, but a full house with good cheer and long meals.