Why I am boycotting Thanksgiving Day Black Friday (Rant)
You know...not all that long ago Thanksgiving was about family, friends and remembering the small things in life that we should ALL be thankful for.
I remember a time when families would begin to gather at breakfast. The Macy's parade would be on the television with the kids sitting around watching and playing games or out in the yard playing football, catch, tag. The ladies would spend the day in the kitchen slowly prepping for dinner while chatting about things going on with their families and reminiscing about the past. The guys would be watching football. Dinner time would come and everyone would help set the tables and get dinner on them. Prayers and blessings would be recited. As everyone ate the conversation would turn to recent events and Christmas plans. After dinner there would be more football as cleanup got under way. There would be chatter while dessert was served and everyone would sit back and relax until people had to start making their way home.
Shopping didn't happen until Friday.
Now days people are killing themselves to get thanksgiving dinner on the table in time for lunch. Conversation is about shopping plans. Everyone is in a rush to eat because they "have to" to shop or even worse they have to get to work. Families are losing their deeper connections.
Why? Because retailers have put the all mighty dollar ahead of family. Because people have put material things in front of experiences and memories. And neither of these bode well for our future. And if you don't believe me all you have to do is look to much of today's society.
We have evolved into a society that has become extremely selfish, self-serving, and materialistic. When will we learn that material things will not buy true family connections, they won't buy respect, and they won't foster love.
I don't know about you, but, I would prefer spending the day with my loved ones over barreling through crowded shopping centers to get those things that maybe I wouldn't buy but "just had to get" because they are soo price cut.
Now, don't get me wrong. I understand people need to save money. And I will say I am guilty of looking at the Black Friday ads and if there is something big that I was ALREADY planning to buy with a heavy discount starting on Thursday I might whip out my phone (yeah remember technology has advanced!) and try to do a single quick transaction but I am not going to spend even 10 minutes to do it on Thanksgiving. And I am definitely not going to take time away from my family to go shopping and from here out I will be declining any Thanksgiving invitations hosted by people that follow the "Gotta shop on Thanksgiving" format. And if that means I lose those connections that put material stuff ahead of family then I am OKAY with that.
I remember a time when families would begin to gather at breakfast. The Macy's parade would be on the television with the kids sitting around watching and playing games or out in the yard playing football, catch, tag. The ladies would spend the day in the kitchen slowly prepping for dinner while chatting about things going on with their families and reminiscing about the past. The guys would be watching football. Dinner time would come and everyone would help set the tables and get dinner on them. Prayers and blessings would be recited. As everyone ate the conversation would turn to recent events and Christmas plans. After dinner there would be more football as cleanup got under way. There would be chatter while dessert was served and everyone would sit back and relax until people had to start making their way home.
Shopping didn't happen until Friday.
Now days people are killing themselves to get thanksgiving dinner on the table in time for lunch. Conversation is about shopping plans. Everyone is in a rush to eat because they "have to" to shop or even worse they have to get to work. Families are losing their deeper connections.
Why? Because retailers have put the all mighty dollar ahead of family. Because people have put material things in front of experiences and memories. And neither of these bode well for our future. And if you don't believe me all you have to do is look to much of today's society.
We have evolved into a society that has become extremely selfish, self-serving, and materialistic. When will we learn that material things will not buy true family connections, they won't buy respect, and they won't foster love.
I don't know about you, but, I would prefer spending the day with my loved ones over barreling through crowded shopping centers to get those things that maybe I wouldn't buy but "just had to get" because they are soo price cut.
Now, don't get me wrong. I understand people need to save money. And I will say I am guilty of looking at the Black Friday ads and if there is something big that I was ALREADY planning to buy with a heavy discount starting on Thursday I might whip out my phone (yeah remember technology has advanced!) and try to do a single quick transaction but I am not going to spend even 10 minutes to do it on Thanksgiving. And I am definitely not going to take time away from my family to go shopping and from here out I will be declining any Thanksgiving invitations hosted by people that follow the "Gotta shop on Thanksgiving" format. And if that means I lose those connections that put material stuff ahead of family then I am OKAY with that.
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