Each year it seems as though the holiday season starts earlier than it did the year before. We can barely even make it through Halloween without department stores already shoving Christmas trees and mistletoe down our throats. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as anyone, but I want to get some turkey in me before I start listening to “All I Want for Christmas is You” and putting up the lights. Starting the season so early takes away from the meaning of the holidays and makes people forget that there are more important things than just shopping for the best gifts.

Growing up, I was always taught that the holidays were about more than just getting and buying presents, but that seems to be something that not many people agree with these days. Black Friday has become more of a holiday than Thanksgiving, and I personally think it’s getting out of control. Stores went from opening at 6 a.m. on Friday to opening at 2 a.m., then midnight, and now stores are opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving; come on, that’s not even Black Friday anymore!

Thanksgiving is about spending time with your friends and family, not about spending your money. It is one day out of the year where your loved ones can all gather together and spend time sitting around the table without the daily interruptions we all usually have. It’s a time to hear your grandparents share their stories, and catch up with relatives you don’t get to see often. Since when did being first in line to get the newest iPhone or video game become more important than family?

I genuinely am disappointed in stores that choose to open on Thanksgiving. Not only does it mean that people have an opportunity to pick shopping over spending time with their families, but it also takes away the chance for workers to spend Thanksgiving with theirs. Our society has become so engrossed in material possessions that somehow we think that buying something for the people we love trumps spending quality time with them. How does that make sense? Black Friday shopping can be fun, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t go, but there is a time and a place, and Thanksgiving is not it.