The decorations happen earlier and earlier every year. Once Halloween is officially over. The lights come out. The songs, the carols, and the tunes all get played on the radio, or in stores. Black Friday is rapidly approaching. Time to get those good deals!
But what about Thanksgiving?!
The American mindset has become so focused on Christmas (it can be seen happening in the month of October, if not earlier) that we as a nation fail to really give a toast to Thanksgiving. It doesn't have the decoration fanfare of December 25th, or all the allure, but dammnit, it should! If not more! I mean what other holiday gives you a parade with big ass fun balloons, a full day of football, and be able to eat till you can't eat any more, but you can and by God you will?!
I get it, Christmas is a big worry for a lot of people. Getting presents, finding sales, and being able to do all those things while maintaining a 40 hour+ work week, especially with kids in the picture. Society does this whole early Christmas hinting so that folks get it in their mind that it is time to start heading out and running over people with shopping carts.
Ok, sorry for the bit of dark comedy, but it's sadly accurate. In fact, Christmas is so important, that Black Friday isn't just a Friday anymore. The Christmas spirit of discovering a 55 inch flat screen for 35 cents has now eeked its way into Thanksgiving Thursday. HOLD ON CHRISTMAS, NOT ONLY DO YOU CAPITALIZE ON THE AMERICAN MIND FOR A FULL TWO MONTHS (POSSIBLY MORE), BUT NOW YOU TAKE AWAY THE AMERICAN RIGHT TO ENJOY THE MOST GLUTTONOUS HOLIDAY?
This is wrong. People are meant to spend this day with family, friends, and food. No one is supposed to be rushing out at 8pm on Thanksgiving night to find a three pack of amiibos for their younger relative/child/themselves. The day is meant to be cherished. I applaud the stores that won't budge, refusing to open their doors on Turkey day. It's already bad enough that there are door-busters at 5:00 in the morning the next day. It's been that way for years, but still. Keep Black Friday at one day, would you please?
Truth be told, next to Halloween, I think Thanksgiving is the best holiday. You're not rushing out the door looking for gifts. All you need is to get some food for the day. That's pretty simple. No one is beating each other down for a can of cranberry sauce, unlike the insane folks out there on Black Friday (calm down you freaking savages).
That's my rant. I know it will not change, it will only remain the same, if not get worse. America is too routine in traditions to break anything now. Sincerely, though, Thanksgiving, I love you, and I always will. You've always remained perfect, even when being overshadowed by the abundance of red and green.