In most American stores today, Halloween decorations start filling the shelves right after school starts and all the back-to-school supplies disappear. I've seen some Halloween decorations and candy out right after the 4th of July in some places. Then with it comes the fall and Thanksgiving decorations and sneak peeks of what is to come for Christmas. The fall and Thanksgiving decorations have a tendency to be one and the same. I've seen so many fall decorations with the stereotypical Thanksgiving sayings, "Blessed" and "Thankful" amongst others.

I have very fond memories of Thanksgiving Day. I would watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with my family in the morning and then we would all go to my aunt's house that afternoon. Until it wouldn't fit anymore, I would wear a white sweatshirt with a stamped pumpkin on the front. I had made it in my Kindergarten class, and I thought it was really cute. When my cousins and I were kids, we would play Pilgrims and Indians. The food was always delicious as well. I always looked forward to my aunt's broccoli casserole.

I also enjoyed Thanksgiving because it is an opportunity to take a step back and look at everything God has blessed me with. Compared to a lot of other countries, America lives in luxury. Many would love to have the things and privileges that we so often take for granted.

The day after Thanksgiving is infamously known as Black Friday. This is the kickoff of the "official" holiday shopping season, and sales are ridiculously good. I love shopping and finding a good deal as much as anybody. I enjoy shopping for people and thinking about what they would like. I enjoy Black Friday, but America has gotten a little extreme with this. Many stores are now opening in the evening on Thanksgiving Day, instead of midnight on Black Friday. Regardless of the time, it is not unusual to see fights breaking out over a flatscreen TV that's marked down to 70% off or people even just lining up outside a store's entrance for however long. I've also seen various stores put up caution tape, prohibiting entrance before the clock strikes. Some people have also gotten injured, which is a whole other story in itself.

The fact that this is happening just hours after we talk about how thankful we are leads me to question the sincerity. Are we really thankful for what we have? Or are those just empty words? The fact that Thanksgiving gets overlooked by Christmas is also something to point out. A better word to use is content. Are we content with what we have, or are we always wanting more? There's the stereotypical answer, but there's also the personal one. Are you content with what you have been blessed with? If you suddenly didn't have the means of obtaining more stuff, would you be more grateful for what you did have? Maybe that's the problem in itself. It's an important question to ask yourself and interesting to observe in today's society for sure.