I am going to take a much needed mental health break from covering the Chicago Bears, so please, bear with me (no pun intended).
There are few things in this world I love more than Thanksgiving. The entire day is built around eating until you are physically ill, which is right up my alley. Drinking is very much encouraged, once you're of age, obviously. Not to mention that there is football literally all day. All of this, mixed with surrounding yourself with family all day, there are simply not many things better than Thanksgiving.
Now, let me take you back in time a few years. The year is 2013. Thanksgiving is approaching, and most stores decided to open their doors on Thanksgiving night, instead of the traditional early morning of Black Friday open. I, for one, was furious. I mean, I love getting a good deal on something I was planning on buying anyway, don't get me wrong. I kept thinking about all of the thousands of people that had to leave their family dinner so they could be at work on time. I remember thinking, "Is nothing sacred anymore?". Outside of the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving is the most American holiday we have. Not only historically, but the idea of sitting around watching football while eating and drinking way too much is about the most American thing we, as a society, can do. So why would stores open on Thanksgiving? I mean, I get it, there are more sales to be had. I will rarely begrudge a business for trying to maximize their profits, especially as physical, brick and mortar stores were collapsing around the country. But, I draw the line at Thanksgiving. No to mention, the idea of being at Thanksgiving dinner, then hearing someone say "Ope, look at the time, I better go get my spot in line at Best Buy, Happy Thanksgiving!" makes me sick to my stomach.
I think I summed up my feelings pretty accurately in a Facebook post from the day before Thanksgiving, 2013:
At this point, all hope was lost. I assumed this was just going to be the way things are now. I thought that we were going to start seeing Black Friday deals as early as November 1st and eventually just skip over Halloween as well. I mean, here in the Chicagoland area, Christmas music comes on 93.9 starting the first week of November.
But then, I saw that most of the big retailers are closing their doors for Thanksgiving Day this year. Seeing that made me so happy, it's almost embarrassing how happy it made me. Is the reason they are closing because of the ongoing pandemic? Probably, at least in part. But I don't care. I am taking a win where I can in 2020.
If you agree with me, that stores should be closed on Thanksgiving, then we need to act this year. We were given the opportunity to show these stores that they can still hit their sales numbers, while being closed on Thanksgiving. This weekend, take advantage of their Black Friday deals. Buy the things you were already planning on buying. Most of these sales will be online this year, due to the pandemic, so take advantage. If you do go to the physical stores, just stay safe and wear a mask.
So, with all this said, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! I hope your teams win, or you cash your bets on the football games tomorrow. I hope you eat everything you can get your hands on. I hope you can find a DD and drink your weight in booze. But more than everything, I hope you stay safe and have a great holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Lavs
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