Black Thursday

It's been uncountable years, certainly most of my life, since Christmas had significance other than a wannit, gemme, get-it retail event. Some Christians have been vocal in their resentment of this transformation of their high holiday into a marketing and sales extravaganza but that's where we're at: Santa trumps Jesus.

That's why I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving. No gifts, no sales, no marketing blitz. Just family and friends calling a one day time out to gather and take inventory of all the good we enjoy in this American life. Lincoln first took the advice of Sarah Josepha Hale and proclaimed the holiday in 1863 during a monstrous bloody Civil War. In spite of all the national turmoil, Lincoln recognized the value in Americans taking a day to acknowledge the wealth we have in this homeland, even in the face of an on-going crisis.

Well, so much for good intentions. In a testament to the contemporary American spirit, the heart and soul of this nation and its people, Thanksgiving has been devoured, the holiday picked clean as a holiday turkey by the American retail marketing machine. Black Friday sales now start at midnight. News sources report that many Americans now forego the traditional family dinner preferring instead to line up on a sidewalk on Thursday in order to be among the first in the door of one of the many big box retailers: Best Buy trumps Lincoln.

I find it all pretty sad. Do you want to take a day-- one day-- and spend it with family and friends to acknowledge what good fortune we have enjoyed in the year? Can you find it in you to spend a day-- one day-- perhaps serving meals to those with none?  For more and more Americans the answer is "no." They'd rather go save some bucks on an X-Box or Play Station.  The abandonment of Thanksgiving-- a day devoted to acknowledging good fortune, taking a moment to count your blessings-- all sacrificed on the altar of self-indulgent retail is an indictment of just how shallow and selfish we've become. Rememeber, you read it here first.  We'll live to see the Dollar Deal McTurkey Meal: "Just the thing for the bargain hungry holiday family on the go this Thanksgiving!" Can it really get that good??