Liz’s rant: Turkey Day shoppers

Do you remember when Thanksgiving meant absolutely nothing was open, store-wise? As in, you could drive through Anytown, America on that day and it was  as if the streets had been rolled up. You were lucky to  see a passing car.

My how things change. This year, a host of stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day. Theories are aplenty – perhaps it’s because lots of people want to beat the Black Friday crowds, or maybe stores are trying to generate the additional sales. Or maybe we’ve just lost touch of Thanksgiving all together.

Is it that difficult to stay clear of the stores for one day? That difficult to stay at home, eat some turkey, watch some football and chill?

I realize the movie theaters and bowling alleys are usually open Thursday. And I really don’t have as big a problem with that, because I’ve done the family movie and family bowling on Thanksgiving. But that seems different from going shopping. Why is that, I wonder?

Let’s face it – if you’re that desperate to shop on Thanksgiving, there’s really no need to leave your home. Just jump on the internet and shop until your heart’s content.

It just seems as if we continue to fall even deeper into the consumerism trap, further away from our values and closer to the total annihilation of the family. So I’m curious. What will you be doing on Thanksgiving? How will you spend the day?

Is Thanksgiving a day of gratitude and blessings? Or just another day of the year?

-Liz