Thanksgiving Day.....The New Black Friday
The most violent day of the year?
Black Friday....the biggest shopping day of the year, now begins on Thanksgiving night and has turned into the most violent day of the year. What in the world is going on out there and who is to blame?
Here's what it looks like in my mind's eye. I sit down to a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner by candlelight. I'm surrounded by the people that I love. Conversation flows easily, wine glasses clink together offering good cheer and blessings to those present and we commence to eating. Dinner is done, my tummy if full. I go to the coat closet and start to layer warm things on my body. People stare in disbelief. I'm sure they think I've lost my mind. And I have. I leave the warm comfort of my home and the dark, cold night descends on me. My nostrils stick together, it's that cold. I get into my refridgerated car and drive miles to the mall. Once there, my eyes are assaulted by blinding white lights and lines of people, all bundled up like me, waiting for the magic moment. It's only 7 p.m. We wait in line for hours because the witching hour begins at midnight. People constantly check their watches and shuffle their feet back and forth in an effort to stay warm. Their mouths emit puffs of fog into the frigid air.
And then it happens. I stand frozen in fear. The doors blast open and mayhem begins.I watch as people scramble over each other. They are kicking, pushing and shoving and yelling obscenities. Some bite, others pull hair. They grab shopping carts and use them like battering rams, running over anyone who happens to be in their way. They pant...their eyes glaze over and they begin to drool. Panic overcomes them as they desperately try to get to their destination. The electronics aisle, the shoe department, the cosmetic counter or maybe the music section. It doesn't matter. Their mission is to get there as fast as they can. They take no prisoners and leave death and destruction in their wake. Once they arrive they claw their way to the object of their desire and clutch it to their breast, like a receiver holding the prized football in a super bowl came. "It' mine, all mine!" they hiss as they glance around to be sure no one will take it from them. They will defend their treasure to the death, actually give their life for it if they must.They are crazed. And they are crazy. I simply stand and watch is disbelief.
Who is to blame for all of this? Is it the store's fault for ignoring such an important family tradition, for dragging the sales staff away from their families and friends to cater to this new genre of ridiculous shoppers? Or is it the shoppers themselves? My take on it is this: If the stores aren't open, then the people can't come. To add insult to injury, some stores are actually going to open on Thanksgiving Day....Shame. Shame. Shame.
These stores are gluttons and so are the shoppers. I say shame on them all. When you reduce yourself to such violence and mayhem just to get a good deal on something, it's time to rethink things. I understand the importance of a business making money, but some things need to be left sacred, and Thanksgiving night should be one of them. Let the people eat turkey and love the ones that they're with, and be thankful for all that they have. Let Thanksgiving night once again be a peaceful, silent night. Let Motel 6 be the only business that has the light on.
