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?
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?
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