Retailers: bah, humbug

By Carrie Cronk, Editor

Every year children wait for what seems to them to be an eternity for Christmas to arrive. The holiday just can’t come fast enough for them.

This year it would seem retailers have not only taken a page from the children’s book, but have rewritten it as well.

While watching this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, I noticed a barrage of Christmas sale ads. At first this seemed perfectly normal, as “Black Friday” has become an American holiday tradition.

Then I realized, these aren’t ads for “Black Friday” sales. Many of these ads were for sales that were actually being held on Thanksgiving.

The traditional American Thanksgiving has been reduced to nothing more than an extended shopping holiday.

Thanksgiving is a historically significant holiday for our country. The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock after being exiled for their religious beliefs.

They endured many hardships on their journey and while they made a start in a new land.

How could they ever fathom the idea that one day, centuries in the future, people would see this day of thanks as nothing more than a chance to get that “perfect” made-in-China, cheap gift at an even cheaper price.

My father always told me Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday because retailers had never been able to commercialize it. It was still true to the original meaning.

Now they’ve done the unthinkable. Thanksgiving couldn’t be made a commercial holiday with trees and presents, so now they’ll just skip it in order to sell more trees and presents for Christmas.

Move over, Scrooge, the retailers have taken over.

Thanksgiving is a holiday for us to reflect on what we have to be thankful for: good health, a bountiful meal, warm shelter, and most of all, our families and friends.

Once upon a time, Christmas had a similar meaning, back when families celebrated the birth of a man who taught a generous and loving philosophy and was capable of performing miracles.

Today it seems it will take nothing short of a miracle to make Americans realize the holidays are not about how much one can spend on a present, who has the biggest tree and brightest lights, or who can outdo the Joneses the best.

These holidays are meant for us to take some time and remember what truly is important; family and love. This is the season of good will and joy, of generosity and charity, to be thankful for all our blessings.

This holiday season make the time to enjoy your friends and families. Remember it is truly the “thought” that counts, not the price tag.