It’s interesting to view the numerous perspectives that Thanksgiving is observed through. Some people use this holiday as a time to celebrate its Puritan origins and its national observance and conduct the stereotypical occasion of inviting hordes of people over to gorge on turkey and others foods. This occurrence probably bears the most resemblance with what we initially learned as children about this holiday (especially the aspects of turkey and asking yourself what you are thankful for). Others disregard or simply do not care for the notions that Thanksgiving celebrates, but cherish it as another holiday to have an opportunity to stay at home, socialize with others, or to save money on deals. And there are those who fall into some sort of mixture between the previous two categories. Most people I know fall into the second category. Admittedly, most holidays have changed into at least being enjoyed somewhat for the leisure they bring, though holidays like Christmas still retain the ideals that have value in society, such as the concept of giving gifts and presents to others. This is nothing wrong with that, but it is notable to see how the general rationale behind celebrating this holiday has fundamentally transformed.
In these past years and this year, the presence of Black Friday has especially seemed to drive people away from celebrating Thanksgiving. This is primarily due to the fact that people will either go out of their way to wait in line on the night of Thanksgiving or even earlier just to get deals on items they might have not even bought in the first place. It’s also ironic that a holiday that centers on being thankful for what you have is promptly followed by a day where crowds of people race to save money on new items. It’s honestly appalling that there have been several incidents of people being injured or in other cases, stampeded to death by crowds of shoppers trying to get a good deal on an item.
Funny as it may be, I’ve seen a lot of articles in the past acting like there is one reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. Some say it’s to spend time with family, others state that it’s for the shopping deals it offers. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving for whatever appeal you felt it had.
