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Shopping away Thanksgiving

How much does your family cost? It could be $150 or maybe $450. If your family is all-around fabulous, perhaps $1,200 is the going rate.

This idea of putting a price tag on family sounds insensitive and disrespectful, but it’s ultimately what many Americans end up doing on Thanksgiving.

Moving Black Friday either a week before or after Thanksgiving might help to reestablish the true meaning of this holiday in the lives of many Americans.

According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, roughly 17 percent of Black Friday shoppers in 2012 planned to use at least some of their Thanksgiving hours to get to get a head start to retail stores.

Recent actions from retail corporations only appears to further entice Americans to skip Thanksgiving so they can buy their discounted Black Friday items. Stores, such as Target and Best Buy, are now opening their doors for Black Friday shopping at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Moreover, in 2014, the National Retail Associations claimed it was expecting more than 26 million people throughout the nation to go out shopping on Thanksgiving Day.

Although these Black Friday bargains save Americans some cash on Thanksgiving Day, they are quite contradictory to the meaning of this national holiday.

Black Friday has definitely skewed the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

This holiday is supposed to be a time of unity among families, but Black Friday has changed the perspective many people have for Thanksgiving.

However, corporations probably wouldn’t be interested in changing the date of Black Friday because their promotional strategies have been very profitable and successful for them. Corporate America has gotten many Americans to see Thanksgiving as mainly an opportunity for a shopping spree.

For most families, Thanksgiving Day is a seldom opportunity for families in America to spend time together and strengthen relationships. In American culture, a majority of a person’s time in a year is spent working, studying, volunteering, etc. However, Thanksgiving provides Americans with a setting where they can put aside their tasks and obligations and focus on having a good time with their families.

Unfortunately, Black Friday is distorting the real meaning of Thanksgiving by influencing people to spend their time purchasing items rather than eating turkey with their loved ones.

The bottom line is this: Thanksgivings Day isn’t intended for Americans to shop and get good discount prices on computers, clothes, jewelry, televisions, etc.

The purpose of Thanksgiving is for you to have an enjoyable time with your family and make lifelong memories. Spending time creating lasting memories with your family on Thanksgiving Day is something that no Black Friday promotion can offer you, because it’s priceless.

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