Well, with a mere flip of the calendar, we’ve now dispensed with Halloween and today we pack away the inside and outside decorations (unless they blew away last night) then head to the store for half-off on our favorite bags of fun-sized candy bars. The deep discounts are so the stores can get more room to display the rest of their Christmas wares which are waiting in the wings. As I wrote about earlier in the Fall, the holidays all seem to morph together – Halloween departs and the next day, Christmas treats and treasures are there to buy as the holiday season kicks into full gear. The arrival of Santa and his crew at the malls is already being advertised, in fact, unbelievably, Oakland Mall welcomes Santa tonight with fireworks and fanfare. The local radio stations are set to launch solid Christmas music 24/7 within days. The print and broadcast ads will soon feature the countdown of how many shopping days are left ‘til Christmas. And pray tell, where does Thanksgiving Day configure into the respective retailers’ mix? I don’t know why, but somewhere along the way Thanksgiving has become diminished as a holiday … just lost in the cranberry sauce. It now seems to serve as the mere kickoff to the shopping season. How sad. I also fear that soon the Thanksgiving get-together with loved ones will become a tradition from the past, as the gathering is abandoned in favor of a dash to the mall to get the Gray Thursday bargains at Macy’s when they open at 8:00 p.m. Now it seems those Thanksgiving night deals supersede the Black Friday crack-of-dawn bargains or Cyber Monday extravaganzas. Sales is not a profession where workers are needed on holidays, like first responders or hospital personnel. I guess I don’t get it. Now someone has to forego a holiday meal or gathering to go into work. Why not just bypass Thanksgiving all together and maybe we could celebrate it sometime in January when it is more convenient, or when everyone experiences the post-holiday-season blues, but well before the hype of Super Bowl Sunday of course. It’s very disheartening that so much emphasis on shopping has taken away the joy of time spent with family and friends or gathered around the big bird and all the trimmings at the dinner table. Soon, a quick ham sandwich in one hand and the car keys in the other will replace the traditional Thanksgiving agenda as you dash out the door to catch the fantabulous deals at Macy’s, Walmart or Best Buy. Forget the slice of just-made pumpkin pie, just stop for a pumpkin latte before heading home – surely, one of the coffee specialty joints will be open. Too bad that because we’re frugal or just want a great deal on electronics, we’ve lost the tradition and spirit of the holiday.

Well, look at it this way – not just the retailers and shoppers are happy; Tom Turkey gets a reprieve as well.