Put the Turkey back in Thanksgiving

If you are old enough you might remember that on the “big three” winter holidays virtually nothing was open. 

If you were traveling then filling up your gas tank the night before was the safe and smart option because finding an open gas station was not a guarantee.  If you needed anything from the food store well you were out of luck or had to resort to finding limited choices at a convenience store.  For the most part all was quiet on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day,with some exceptions.

The first of those three to undergo a change was New Year’s Day.  To me that was the day when (depending on your age) you recovered from the festivities the night before just in time to watch the first of what where the four big college football bowl games.  It started with the Cotton Bowl around noon, then it was the Rose Bowl in late afternoon before the Orange and Sugar Bowls occupied the nighttime.

My guess is that most women did not exactly enjoy the day as much as some of us and they were clamoring for something to do.  So I guess it was around a decade or so ago that many retailers started opening on New Year’s Day and if you flash forward to today it’s not really much of a holiday but more like a Sunday.

If you’re driving around in the afternoon you will likely not be able to tell that the day is anything special.  So it’s one down and two to go. Now they are messing with the second and I for one don’t like it. As a matter of fact I find it rather deplorable.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year and I’ll save the details for tomorrow as to why.  It is a day in which everyone who wants to should be able to share it with family and friends.  Some have to travel to and from, others never leave their house.  But unless you’ve been in a coma you are probably aware that Thanksgiving is now another day in which retailers are looking to cash in.  Forget “Black Friday”, how about “Gray Thursday?”  as some of the nation’s biggest retailers will be opening Thanksgiving night with the inducement of big savings.

Some of you might be planning to take advantage and that’s your business.  But people also have to work and while some may be delighted to earn extra bucks I’m sure others will have to change or cancel holiday plans to do so.   And let’s be honest. If stores do well then the trend will continue and before long Thanksgiving will just be another day to shop for Christmas.

Speaking of which, look down the road a few years.  You wake up on Christmas morning, open presents, go to church and then return what you didn’t like at the mall which is offering great deals on early returns.  Don’t laugh. Its coming.