Thanksgiving, the forgotten holiday

[eyoungren]

So, it seems like every year in the US since perhaps the late 80s, this country seems to skip Thanksgiving and go straight from Halloween to Christmas.

Why?

Commercially, I can get it. Retailers make no money off of Thanksgiving. It's a time for giving thanks, not candy or presents. Not even trying to make greeting cards sell for this holiday has worked.

Perhaps it's because so many people have dysfunctional families? Who would want to break bread and give thanks with people you have issues with?

Here's the thing though. It's an actual holiday that most businesses in this country are closed on. It's equal to Christmas and New Years in that regard. Many businesses give you Thanksgiving paid and lots of them allow you to take the Friday afterwards off too.

I reckon that if Thanksgiving was taken away as a paid holiday then that people would all of a sudden remember that Thanksgiving is actually a major holiday and there would be an outcry.

Yet, radio stations skip Thanksgiving by going 24/7 with Christmas music on Nov. 1. Retailers push Christmas items. The only exception here seems to be the week before Thanksgiving when all of a sudden the retailers remember that people want to buy stuff for Thanksgiving meals. But that stuff is arranged around all the Christmas stuff.

It used to be when I was a kid that Thanksgiving was celebrated after Halloween and you didn't put up a Christmas tree or put out Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving.

Thoughts?

 

[MacNut]

Retail doesn’t make money on Thanksgiving. Grocery stores do but not the big boxes. This is the reason they sell Halloween and Christmas items in August.

 

[SnacksGU]

I think you presented a lot of reasonable reasons. I personally enjoy Thanksgiving. It has been beneficial for my personal and my family.

 

[Apple fanboy]

So, it seems like every year in the US since perhaps the late 80s, this country seems to skip Thanksgiving and got straight from Halloween to Christmas.

Why?

Commercially, I can get it. Retailers make no money off of Thanksgiving. It's a time for giving thanks, not candy or presents. Not even trying to make greeting cards sell for this holiday has worked.

Perhaps it's because so people have dysfunctional families? Who would want to break bread and give thanks with people you have issues with?

Here's the thing though. It's an actual holiday that most businesses in this country are closed on. It's equal to Christmas and New Years in that regard. Many businesses give you Thanksgiving paid and lots of them allow you to take the Friday afterwards off too.

I reckon that if Thanksgiving was taken away as a paid holiday then that people would all of a sudden remember that Thanksgiving is actually a major holiday and there would be an outcry.

Yet, radio stations skip Thanksgiving by going 24/7 with Christmas music on Nov. 1. Retailers push Christmas items. The only exception here seems to be the week before Thanksgiving when all of a sudden the retailers remember that people want to buy stuff for Thanksgiving meals. But that stuff is arranged around all the Christmas stuff.

It used to be when I was a kid that Thanksgiving was celebrated after Halloween and you didn't put up a Christmas tree or put out Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving.

Thoughts?

Maybe it’s partly because we are a lot more global focused now. Global brands can’t focus on Thanksgiving as it’s only celebrated by one country. In Europe many don’t even know what the holiday is for.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Thanksgiving is my daughter’s favorite holiday. She loves all the cooking.

 

[eyoungren]

I think you presented a lot of reasonable reasons. I personally enjoy Thanksgiving. It has been beneficial for my personal and my family.

Thanksgiving is my daughter’s favorite holiday. She loves all the cooking.

Thanksgiving is the one time of year that my family always got together. The one time that I saw people I normally don't see. Like any family you have your issues, but it was generally a good time. I guess for most people Christmas would be the holiday for family, but it was never that way with us.

Halloween was rarely celebrated at my house and Christmas was about presents. New Years was never anything special at all.

It's interesting though because on Thanksgiving you spend the entire day getting ready for what amounts to 20-30 minutes around a table eating. After that meal…it's done. Maybe you come back for pie later, but essentially after the meal Thanksgiving is over. All that prep time for 20-30 minutes.

I guess that's why I have such an objection to it being ignored.

 

[velocityg4]

Now that I think about it. I'm thankful that it is ignored. At least we can have one major holiday which has resisted commercialization in large part. I'd hate to think of Thanksgiving movies coming out every year. Every channel loaded with thanksgiving commercials. Thanksgiving songs blaring on the radio. Stuffed turkeys hung like stockings from the oven door and filled with candy up the... you know.

I do feel sorry for retail store employees who keep having Thanksgiving cut shorter. As stores cut Black Friday sales into Thursday. Personally, I don't do Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I get it all done ahead of time and don't worry about it.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

Ignored? The wed before is the number one travel day in this country. Everyone has off and the few stores that open on thanksgiving get A LOT of **** for doing so. There are no products really to sell but retailers make a ton of money on black Friday which pretty much now starts at 8PM the night before.

 

[eyoungren]

Ignored? The wed before is the number one travel day in this country. Everyone has off and the few stores that open on thanksgiving get A LOT of **** for doing so. There are no products really to sell but retailers make a ton of money on black Friday which pretty much now starts at 8PM the night before.

Yes, ignored. Except for the week before, when have you seen a Thanksgiving commercial? Thanksgiving products? People talking about Thanksgiving?

From late August to October 31 all you hear is "Halloween" and there are nothing but Halloween commercials during that time. From November 1 to December 26 all you hear is Christmas commercials. The stores turn the merchandise around on November 1 from Halloween to Christmas so fast it'll make you dizzy. November 1st we had two radio stations in our area blasting Christmas music as if there were no holiday before that.

I like Christmas music as much as the next person, but not before Thanksgiving!

There's no 1.5 to 2 month long celebration of Thanksgiving, culminating shortly before the day of. No one is talking about it until the week before. All you hear is Halloween or Christmas.

So, yeah, it's forgotten. Sadlly there's no money in remembering it.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

Yes, ignored. Except for the week before, when have you seen a Thanksgiving commercial? Thanksgiving products? People talking about Thanksgiving?

From late August to October 31 all you hear is "Halloween" and there are nothing but Halloween commercials during that time. From November 1 to December 26 all you hear is Christmas commercials. The stores turn the merchandise around on November 1 from Halloween to Christmas so fast it'll make you dizzy. November 1st we had two radio stations in our area blasting Christmas music as if there were no holiday before that.

I like Christmas music as much as the next person, but not before Thanksgiving!

There's no 1.5 to 2 month long celebration of Thanksgiving, culminating shortly before the day of. No one is talking about it until the week before. All you hear is Halloween or Christmas.

So, yeah, it's forgotten. Sadlly there's no money in remembering it.

You are right about Christmas music. It used to only be on the radio a few weeks before xMas, then it started on thanksgiving, now its like you said, as early as Halloween. But its not ignored at all. There are no thanksgiving day commercials, never really has been.. but it celebrated as much now as ever before. There was never any thanksgiving day music at all anyway. Nothing has really changed about Thanksgiving, its just that xmas starts so much earlier.

 

[Tomorrow]

Retailers make no money off of Thanksgiving.

I've walked down the main aisle in the grocery section of a Walmart this time of year. I had no idea there were that many cans of sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie filling, or French fried onions on the planet. Not to mention all the baking goods, aluminum turkey roasting pans, and other stuff (literally - stuffing) littering the place.

Yes, ignored. Except for the week before, when have you seen a Thanksgiving commercial? Thanksgiving products? People talking about Thanksgiving?

I've read what seems like endless bellyaching over pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that, so yeah, I've seen it, and the backlash associated with it. Maybe that's why you don't hear too many people talking about it?

 

[chown33]

... All that prep time for 20-30 minutes.

When it's really good, there's often a pleasant afterglow.

 

[bigjnyc]

I agree with your sentiment. However the big box stores are slowly moving in on thanksgiving with the Black Friday ridiculousness. Just the other day I saw a report where several stores were going to now open at 5pm and 6pm on thanksgiving day to undercut each other (I believe it was target and Walmart) I don’t know about you guys but my family is usually just done eating around that time and then we sit down to mingle and watch football as the holiday was intended. I feel that what these stores are doing is a complete abomination of what is otherwise a traditional time for family. Not only are you dragging customers away from their families but you’re making your employees come in as well.

 

[decafjava]

I used to like Thanksgiving - except in Canada we have it in October. Since moving to Europe it has been forgotten by me except to wish family and friends in North America a good one...but now working with American students doing an overseas semester we always make sure at least to have a little gathering with pumpkin pie and snacks (not a roast turkey though) just to mark the occasion.

 

[Tomorrow]

I agree with your sentiment. However the big box stores are slowly moving in on thanksgiving with the Black Friday ridiculousness.

Don't blame the stores, blame the customers. Believe me, NO store would open on Thanksgiving if no customers wanted to shop.

I feel that what these stores are doing is a complete abomination of what is otherwise a traditional time for family. Not only are you dragging customers away from their families but you’re making your employees come in as well.

"Dragging" customers away? "Making" employees come in?

I worked in food service many years ago. We nearly fought each other for the right to work on holidays on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The store paid us double time, and none of us were around family anyway since we were away at college. Nobody was "made" to do anything, and nobody is twisting customers' arms to buy stuff.

You and your family like to sit around and watch football or whatever instead of going shopping. That's great. But don't "make" other customers stay home and do the same thing because it's what YOU would do. Don't "drag" employees back to the house when they want to go to work and make some extra cash just because that's where YOUR heart is.

 

[eyoungren]

Around where I live, stores tend to be open earlier on Thanksgiving. Such as 5 or 6 am, not pm. The idea being that somebody has forgotten a can of this or that. Generally, gas station convenience stores have been the only places open on Thanksgiving in the past. If you can even find what you need there you'll pay through the nose for it.

And while open most of the stores seem to be limiting the employees hours so that they have at least some part of the day off for their families.

Yeah, I notice the stockup for goods, but that usually only happens about a week or two before Thanksgiving and it's nowhere near as dominant as Christmas. Thanksgiving centers all around a meal so I guess you can't really 'commercialize' that because no one sets up Thanksgiving lights or Turkey and pumpkin inflatables on their house and lawn.

My main point wasn't so much commercialization though (yeah, I know they are trying to do that) but the loss of that small slice of time between Halloween and Christmas where Thanksgiving was people's focus. Commercialization of Christmas has influenced that I guess.

At least now I know there are others out there who place some similar value as I do on Thanksgiving.

 

[Huntn]

So, it seems like every year in the US since perhaps the late 80s, this country seems to skip Thanksgiving and got straight from Halloween to Christmas.

Why?

Commercially, I can get it. Retailers make no money off of Thanksgiving. It's a time for giving thanks, not candy or presents. Not even trying to make greeting cards sell for this holiday has worked.

Perhaps it's because so people have dysfunctional families? Who would want to break bread and give thanks with people you have issues with?

Here's the thing though. It's an actual holiday that most businesses in this country are closed on. It's equal to Christmas and New Years in that regard. Many businesses give you Thanksgiving paid and lots of them allow you to take the Friday afterwards off too.

I reckon that if Thanksgiving was taken away as a paid holiday then that people would all of a sudden remember that Thanksgiving is actually a major holiday and there would be an outcry.

Yet, radio stations skip Thanksgiving by going 24/7 with Christmas music on Nov. 1. Retailers push Christmas items. The only exception here seems to be the week before Thanksgiving when all of a sudden the retailers remember that people want to buy stuff for Thanksgiving meals. But that stuff is arranged around all the Christmas stuff.

It used to be when I was a kid that Thanksgiving was celebrated after Halloween and you didn't put up a Christmas tree or put out Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving.

Thoughts?

I don't think it has been forgotten by citizens, but as you are referencing the Commercialization aspects, I really dislike Christmas stuff in stores after Halloween. :-/

 

[maflynn]

this country seems to skip Thanksgiving

I have to disagree, the TV is full of thanksgiving themed/based shows. People make plans for thanksgiving. That holiday is the most travelled day in the US. Supermarkets are filled to the brim with Thanksgiving based products. Its a major holiday that brings families together. I think if anything its garnered more importances as retails stores have incurred a lot of push back for opening on that day or that evening.

 

[D.T.]

We have a great time with family, food, lots of drink, watch our favorite Thanksgiving movies: PT&A, ACBT, also drink ... did I mentioned drink?

Doing a road trip this year, headed north in the big red beast

 

[eyoungren]

I don't think it has been forgotten by citizens, but as you are referencing the Commercialization aspects, I really dislike Christmas stuff in stores after Halloween. :-/

Perhaps, that is my main problem then. Since they haven't really found a way to commercialize an aspect other than food, they just push Christmas. And Christmas is after Halloween, but not before Thanksgiving.
[doublepost=1542033894][/doublepost]

I have to disagree, the TV is full of thanksgiving themed/based shows. People make plans for thanksgiving. That holiday is the most travelled day in the US. Supermarkets are filled to the brim with Thanksgiving based products. Its a major holiday that brings families together. I think if anything its garnered more importances as retails stores have incurred a lot of push back for opening on that day or that evening.

I want to come live in your market. All I see is Christmas advertising where I am and Christmas music 24/7 on two radio stations.

 

[Huntn]

Perhaps, that is my main problem then. Since they haven't really found a way to commercialize an aspect other than food, they just push Christmas. And Christmas is after Halloween, but not before Thanksgiving.
[doublepost=1542033894][/doublepost]
I want to come live in your market. All I see is Christmas advertising where I am and Christmas music 24/7 on two radio stations.

I can remember in the 90s when I first saw Christmas in the department stores before Thanksgiving.

 

[maflynn]

I want to come live in your market. All I see is Christmas advertising where I am and Christmas music 24/7 on two radio stations.

I didn't say the malls are devoid of Christmas decorations, or that there are radio stations not playing Christmas music. What I am saying that you're looking in the wrong locations. Thanksgiving is alive and well, but if you're looking for it at the mall, you'll be sourly disappointed. Thanksgiving is not about buying material things, so looking for the holiday in the mall is a mistake.

 

[eyoungren]

I didn't say the malls are devoid of Christmas decorations, or that there are radio stations not playing Christmas music. What I am saying that you're looking in the wrong locations. Thanksgiving is alive and well, but if you're looking for it at the mall, you'll be sourly disappointed. Thanksgiving is not about buying material things, so looking for the holiday in the mall is a mistake.

But I'm not looking for 'things' per se. I'm looking for acknowledgement.

I'll use an example most people will be aware of. Starbucks uses special cups during the Christmas season. Why not a special cup for Thanksgiving?

They won't. Because the Christmas season means more money. So for them, Christmas starts November 1st. Pumpkin Spice Latte? You can assume that's for Thanksgiving if you like, but it's really a Christmas drink to them.

I get what you're saying…people are still celebrating Thanksgiving and I'm looking in the wrong place. What I wish is that the wrong places would start recognizing Thanksgiving more before Christmas.
[doublepost=1542041056][/doublepost]

I can remember in the 90s when I first saw the Christmas in the department stores before Thanksgiving.

Yeah, it started creeping around that time. I swear that if they could get away with it that Christmas would be the only decorations they put up year round.

 

[maflynn]

They won't. Because the Christmas season means more money. So for them, Christmas starts November 1st. Pumpkin Spice Latte? You can assume that's for Thanksgiving if you like, but it's really a Christmas drink to them.

And yet this does not mean thanksgiving is being forgotten. It may not be acknowledged or used by retailers but that does not diminish it as a holiday which is what you're proposing.

 

[Mousse]

Thanksgiving is the only holiday I truly enjoy (relaxing with family and food and counting my blessings). But with aggressive marketing for Christmas, it's becoming less and less enjoyable. I remember when the entire family sat down for the most fattening feast of the year. But not anymore. Pre-Black Friday sales have people leaving the table for the turkey gets carved.

In my house, I refuse to set up the Christmas tree until AFTER everyone is as round as roly polys from dinner. I don't put up Christmas lights and decorations until Friday after Thanksgiving.