The aroma of creamy mashed potatoes, tender turkey and stuffing seasoned to perfection is what I await on Thanksgiving. I look forward to spending time with my loved ones and eating a meal made with blood, sweat and tears.
But Thanksgiving is often overlooked because jolly, bearded Santa Claus and his reindeers start appearing as early as October. Halloween decorations are squeezed into tiny store corners, and everywhere I look, I saw Christmas decorations and advertisements in anticipation of Black Friday, the crazed shopping event that has swept the nation. Stores are filled with Christmas trees, ornaments and those songs that attempt to put customers in the holiday spirit — Christmas music.
What happened to Thanksgiving, you may ask? It’s still here but only if you look very closely. It’ll be over in the blink of an eye because Black Friday has people more concerned with buying the latest iPad than eating with their family and friends, as they say, “Only in America do people trample others for sales exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have.” The true meaning of Christmas is stocking up on lower-priced merchandise and spending the days leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah braving the over-crowded malls.
My love of shopping has made me guilty of celebrating Black Friday for years. Waiting in line and anticipating the rush of entering stores to get some of the best retail deals is what shoppers live for, and I’ve done it promptly at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. But for the past few years, stores have been opening on Thanksgiving night, letting retail turn a once meaningful holiday into a marketing ploy.
As someone who has worked midnight shifts on Black Friday, I know that it really does cut Thanksgiving short. Before you have time to finish that second slice of pumpkin pie, you’re on your way to work in the pitch black darkness. So many families sacrifice quality time with their relatives because they have to work long shifts on Black Friday. Employers and shoppers don’t realize that retail employees are trying to celebrate Thanksgiving, too.
The month of November is no longer synonymous with Thanksgiving and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but rather shopping for gifts that people don’t even like, don’t want or don’t appreciate.
I love Thanksgiving, and even though there is a lack of cool weather and changing leaves in South Florida, the feeling of family and comfort food makes up for it. I look forward to helping prepare dinner with my mom and sisters. I look forward to laughing and arguing over the consistency of the sweet potatoes. I look forward to sitting down with my family and spending time with them.
So before people push Thanksgiving aside for a new, discounted flat screen TV that they can’t imagine life without, they should pass the green bean casserole around and take time to enjoy the day with their loved ones.
