Besides the fact that there was turkey and stuffing, Thanksgiving just didn't feel like Thanksgiving this year. About a week ago I stopped at the Willowbrook mall for a birthday gift and was shocked to see Santa already set up and waiting for families to arrive to take their pictures with him. My friend argued that Santa always arrived a week before Thanksgiving but it didn't seem right that stores were playing their commercial free christmas music courtesy of 106.7 so early in the holiday season.
Thanksgiving Day I slept through most of the morning festivities of cooking and watching the parade, and to be honest if I hadn't woken up to the distinct smell of a Thanksgiving dinner I probably wouldn't of given it a second thought. For some reason this year we have completely skipped over giving thanks and straight to giving gifts. The only type of media coverage I seemed to notice were the "one day only" sale alerts flashing on my laptop or on TV reminding me that Black Friday was on its way.
If i could guess I would say that its safe to assume that the state of the economy is to blame for the rush of gift-getting. Any sort of bargain seems like an outstanding deal to somebody wondering how they're going to afford gifts for their entire list of relatives during this recession. It seems like every year society becomes more obsessed with the idea of "Black Friday" and the "Day After Thanksgiving" sales but this year it seemed the response was outstanding. It just seems wrong that Thanksgiving was completely bypassed. A holiday with such meaning as this one deserves way more recognition then it received this year.
1 comment:
My Thanksgiving didn't hold a whole lot of meaning for me either. I had to work until 6 instead of visiting my stepmother's family in Lyndhurst (far from home!). When I got home I at least had some leftover turkey, warmed up in the microwave. The food was there, but the giving of thanks and family part was absent.
And yes, I think the economy has a lot to do with the increased prevalence of Black Friday ads. Both individuals and corporations are hurting with the current state of the economy, and these sales are a way through which both can be helped. More sales for retailers, and good deals on gifts for consumers. Then again, the retailers are banking on the customers purchasing additional items besides the doorbusters - most big Black Friday items are advertised at or below cost to get people in the store.
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