Thanksgiving is for Turkey — Not Shopping

I can picture it now: our forefathers standing at the entrance of Target commiserating over their long journey across the Atlantic Ocean for the freedom to worship as they pleased and watching as hoards of shoppers trounce through the doors before their Thanksgiving Day meal has properly settled in their stomachs.  Pilgrims would be standing next to Native Americans just shaking their heads in confusion over the mad race to get into stores in the middle of the night. 

“What about the feast?” they would mumble to one another. 

Good question. A billboard in my town advertises the outlets on the shore are opening on Thanksgiving night at 10 p.m. Target is opening at 11 p.m. and many others are following suit with midnight or earlier openings. Flyers are coming and have been for weeks. My kids have already torn apart the Toys R Us catalog.   Pretty soon we will not celebrate Thanksgiving. We will barely get through Halloween and Christmas will have begun.

I will admit I tried once to shop in the wee hours of the morning and after three stores, one solid flipping of the bird; at me not by me, and one car full of teenagers artfully squeaking into the parking space I had waited patiently for I was home by 7 a.m., tired, cranky and with one roll of wrapping paper and nothing to wrap.

For some, I realize, it is the thrill of the hunt. Knowing you nabbed the hottest gift at the lowest price but has anyone ever noticed that the sales keep going even after Black Friday? Perhaps not the very best sale but if you take away the stress of fighting through crowds, losing sleep and losing a precious parking space I am pretty sure you would come out just fine in the end.

So I feel behind before I have even begun. I am worried that I will not have time to bake and shop and wrap and visit and entertain and celebrate Christmas. I am worried that all the advertisements and in your face billboards will completely eclipse Christmas. Yesterday, I was doing a short trip to return a couple items.  The energy was already frenetic and I was beginning to think I really was behind or missing out on some big deal. 

Truth is, I usually miss out on the big deal anyway. I glanced around Old Navy and quickly gathered my kids, like a mother running from the plague and got out of dodge. On our way out, I received a coupon from an Old Navy employee; $10 off your purchase of 50 or more … all day Thursday. I threw it away. 

Each year I feel the same wave of panic that I am missing out on something, somewhere. The feeling of dread that I just missed buying the perfect gift or getting the best deal. This year I am going to work through that panic and ignore the media flying at me each millisecond of my day. I am going to bake and decorate and visit. I am going to do my best to slow down the pace around my house and help my kids understand Christmas is about sharing and loving and giving things you cannot purchase. Not shopping, shopping and shopping.

On Black Friday, you will not find me in a store at midnight, I covet my sleep too much. You will not find me scouring parking lots at 4 a.m.; I covet my sanity too much. You will find me in my pajamas, still digesting the wonderful dinner prepared by my sister-in-law on Thanksgiving, sipping tea and hanging out with my children. 

A couple weeks back, I was in a drugstore with my middle child and he was completely thrown by the Christmas decorations. He said, and quite loudly,” Mom it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet!!  What are they doing?” Good child. Perhaps there is hope.  Perhaps younger generations, with a little guidance, will see the craziness of decorating for Christmas in October. 

Perhaps Thanksgiving will not be lost. Or perhaps stores will just up the ante by offering turkey dinners with their flat-screen TVs.