Only in America do we wait in line and trample each other for sale items one day after giving thanks for what we already have.
It started out simple enough. In fact, it makes a lot of sense when you take it at face value.
Since 1940, the Thanksgiving holiday has been celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday of November. Of course, the holiday pre-dates our current calendar designation by hundreds of years. The first nationwide celebration of Thanksgiving was established by our first president, George Washington when he proclaimed Thanksgiving to be, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God.”
After the Thanksgiving holiday, we begin looking forward to the next: Christmas. Given the fact that exchanging gifts on Christmas dates back to the 4th Century, it makes perfect sense that the holiday shopping season would begin at this point. Indeed, it always has. Even the Macy’s Day Parade, which began in the 1920’s, was originally made up of store employees marching to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes.
For a very long time, the Friday after Thanksgiving has marked the beginning of the Christmas season—and rightfully so I might add.
Sometime in the 1980’s, we began referring to this day as Black Friday. The most common rumor surrounding the name is that the day after Thanksgiving is the first day of the year that retail stores make an actual profit and their Accounting books turn from “red” to “black.” This, of course, could not be further from the truth, and has been confirmed as myth from almost every reputable historical source.
The true history is that the term “Black Friday” was originally used as a negative designation of the Friday after Thanksgiving, when, in Philadelphia, unruly fans would descend upon the city, its merchants, and its police force for the annual Army-Navy football game.
Sometime in the late 1980’s, however, the term Black Friday was usurped by retail stores nationwide and turned into something that reflected positively, rather than negatively, on them and their customers.
Again, this makes perfect sense. Retail stores are more than welcome to celebrate the beginning of the holiday shopping season with discounted prices on their items. If I owned a retail outlet, I would probably do the same.
However, at some point during my lifetime, things began to change. Black Friday became more than a day to celebrate the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Black Friday became an event in and of itself.
At first, it was a plethora of advertisements that would arrive on our doorstep Thanksgiving morning. It wasn’t all that long ago I can remember rushing to get the paper so I could begin thumbing through the sales for the following day. Little did I realize at the time how those ads were affecting me—a day originally set aside for giving thanks was quickly becoming a day focused on all the things I didn’t have.
Somewhere around that time, stores began going to extraordinary lengths to attract shoppers. A simple discount on their goods was no longer sufficient. To prepare for the day, national retail chains would begin planning months in advance to secure the hottest consumer products and offer a limited amount to the first customers at a net loss. They may lose a little money on the item, but the offer would lure customers into their store on that important day. Camping out in front of stores and trampling other shoppers suddenly became a thing.
Stores began opening at 6am on the day after Thanksgiving. And for most of my lifetime, this was the story of Black Friday.
But things began to change in the late 2000’s. At first, stores began competing for shoppers by opening earlier and earlier on Black Friday. Looking back, it appears almost inevitable. Doors opened at 5:00am and then 4:00am. And once the ball got rolling, there was nothing in place to stop it.
This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers opened at midnight for the first time.
In 2012, stores took the unprecedented step of opening on Thanksgiving Day (8:00pm).
By 2014, stores began opening their doors at 5:00pm on Thursday. This year, some stores will open at 3:00pm on Thanksgiving Day.
And just when you thought we had reached a new low in our society, Verizon renames the day before Thanksgiving: Thanksgetting—as a means to promote its holiday deals and lure shoppers.
With each encroachment, the Thanksgiving holiday gets squeezed a little bit more.
A day previously set aside for giving thanks has been hijacked by retailers hoping to earn a dollar. (tweet that)
But Thanksgiving is important. Giving thanks calls us to recognize and celebrate the good in our lives. And in a society that works so hard to distract us from our blessings, the importance of giving thanks cannot be overstated.
Gratitude matters. It breeds contentment, helps us overcome selfishness, and encourages generosity. Grateful people are happier, healthier, and experience greater life satisfaction. Gratitude reminds us that what we have is enough and we have been provided for already.
At some point, it seems, we need to make a statement. We need to rise up and reclaim Thanksgiving. We need to reclaim it in our hearts and we need to reclaim it in our society.
That time is now! And who better to lead that charge than us?
Will you commit with me to not allow retail outlets to encroach on your holiday and distract you from gratitude? Will you commit to focus on the blessings in your life and celebrate your provisions from the previous year? Will you be vigilant about not allowing consumerism to creep into your Thanksgiving celebration?
If so, tell us on Facebook and Twitter how you intend to overcome consumerism and reclaim Thanksgiving this Thursday. Tell us about your holiday traditions or plans. Or simply express your gratitude by sharing with the world what you are thankful for this year.
With each tweet or status update, include the hashtag: #ReclaimThanksgiving.
With each individual participant, we will remind more and more people of the importance of gratitude. And we will take a stand against the retailers who continue to trample on it.
Marissa says
That is so sad how Verizon is calling Thanksgiving “Thanksgetting”. : / A new low indeed. It’s only a matter of time until retailors start calling Thanksgiving that for their sales. I liked Black Friday as a shopping day on Black Friday and not on the Thanksgiving holiday for that reason. Even though I am a minimalist, in the past, I remember shopping on Black Friday with my mom at Kohl’s at midnight and it was very fun. But now, since Black Friday is now Black Thursday, I won’t even look at that day anymore. I would go shopping on Thanksgiving since it’s just my mom and I, but we both feel sorry for the workers having to work during Thanksgiving dinner instead of being with their families. So we’re not going out shopping on Thanksgiving for that reason. Corporate greed at its finest.
Regardless of that spending day, I hope everyone here has an awesome Thanksgiving! C:
Rick says
One of my favorite quotes, by Abraham Maslow:
“A lack of appreciation and careless disregard for our many blessings is perhaps the greatest non-evil source of evil deeds in the world”
Kim says
Very well said, indeed. Our immediate family bowed out of the Black Friday tradition years and years ago – way before the extremes we now see today. In fact, instead of going out and buying things the day after Thanksgiving, we look through the gift catalog of Samaritan’s Purse (Compassion International also has a similar catalog) and each of us choose things we want to give to those who are truly in need. Taking half of our Christmas budget and using it to make a donation has become a tradition that our now 12-year-old boys as well as my husband and I look forward to every year. It gives us great joy to know we are helping people we will never meet make their lives a little bit better in some small way.
PS I would’ve commented on FB or Twitter as you asked, but in my quest to simplify life, I don’t have an account with either! Thank you for all you do.
Lori in Prescott says
Me, neither. No FB. No Twitter. No t.v.
Karen says
I have never really participated in Black Friday. I LOVE having a four day weekend and sleeping in. This year we are going to a cabin a couple hours from home for Thanksgiving. Friday we plan on taking REI up on it’s offer and using our brand new show shoes.
Flor says
REI retail store also is promoting #optoutside. Go to their website and optout. Nearly 1M people pledge to optout, including my family. No black Friday for them! Hurray for REI.
Lori in Prescott says
We, too, enjoy nature during the holidays, hiking with our dog on different trails than we normally take. We pack a simple lunch and enjoy it on a fallen log. Sometimes we take along the tripod and this becomes our Christmas card photo. We opt out of holiday travel, traditional holiday spread of food, sport games on t.v.. We will be grilling lobster and eating Trader Joe Karat Cake this year. I love autumn and the quiet reflective time it is. That’s what we celebrate. For us it is a wonderful break from work, shopping, and being in traffic. Similar for our Christmas and Easter. Your life is what you make it.
Pamela says
I have never given Black Friday space in my life, so I really don’t require taking back Thanksgiving either. My children see signs about stores being open on Thanksgiving and think it’s a silly idea. After all, who would want to shop on Thanksgiving? It really is that simple.
Jan Ramsey Brick says
The straw that broke the camel’s back for me this year was when I heard that Verizon ad about “Thanksgetting”. That is certainly a new low! My family is planning to go for a hike (if the rain holds off) instead of gorging ourselves on Thursday. Friday we will be anywhere but a retail store! :)
Kelly B. says
I kicked the Black Friday habit when it started rolling into Thursday. I am thankful that I found your websites. It has helped me focus on the things that are important to me as well as guide me into making decisions and changes that I’ve dreamed about for 5 years. Thank you.
Annie says
I spent the first 15 years of my career in retail, most of which I enjoyed. Then I began to notice the change in the customers I encountered. After suffering through numerous Black Fridays and various other similar events where I was knocked over, cursed at, and treated like a doormat, I decided to find an office job. Because of my experiences I will never shop Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Small Business Saturday, (I do want to support small businesses, I’d just rather support them as I need to on a regular basis, not to feed a consumerist Christmas mentality.)
This Thanksgiving will be spent with my extended family. I will be thankful for the good sense to marry into all my in-laws who are kind and wonderful people, and for the fact my family loves my husband just as much. As for Friday, I will be reading and taking a long walk with my hubby, and having a turkey sandwich for dinner, YUM!