A Good Thing: Stores Open on Thanksgiving

Each November for several years, I have seen postings on social media and heard conversations in which people denounce the fact that stores open on Thanksgiving Day to take advantage of the "Black Friday" rush.

It seems that people are annoyed by the fact that Thanksgiving is "interrupted" by the onset of the Christmas shopping season. Some folks also seem distressed that family members, friends and neighbors who work in retail must cut their holiday short in order to get to work.

This attitude doesn't seem to me to take all of the facts into account.

First, let's be honest: the Christmas shopping season starts well before Thanksgiving. Before children have gathered their final bits of candy on Halloween night, stores were putting up Christmas decorations and announcing sales. Black Friday is, if anything, a halftime in the shopping season, not a kick off.

Second, we live in uncertain times, with an extremely uncertain economy. People who are blessed to have jobs that pay well are indeed truly blessed. Having to work on part of Thanksgiving Day could be seen as a hindrance to holiday joy or as a reason to be thankful. Having a job, even in retail, even during holiday shopping madness, is a blessing. These jobs enable families to give and receive presents on Christmas & put food on the table every day. These are reasons to be grateful, not to complain.

Finally, we live in a world that gives us many reasons to complain. Instead of wasting one's time complaining about Black Friday, have fun with it! Get up early with your family, go out for a nice breakfast & then hit the mall...if only to see the madness & laugh! It's the Christmas season, after all; try to enjoy it!