Thanksgiving & Black Friday (from a U.S. perspective)

When I think of Black Friday, I think of the day after Thanksgiving that seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year. A lot of people in America, especially my grandmother, feel that Thanksgiving is supposed to be about giving thanks and being with family all while eating A LOT of food. But, the urge to get the “best black Friday deals” are taking away from that. Now it’s all about how quickly we can shove turkey down our throats so we can go stand in the cold for 5 hours before the doors open at midnight to do

some major Christmas shopping. This is not what Thanksgiving should be about. Thanksgiving is an American and Canadian holiday in which you give thanks for the harvest of the previous year, what that means is that it is an extended weekend where you get to be with your family and eat as much as you want. And the best part is that no one judges you for putting 3 scoops of mashed potatoes on your plate drowned in gravy! The holiday goes as far back as Christopher Columbus. The typical Thanksgiving dinner is turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and a whole lot of gravy.

Now many Americans are planning their thanksgiving around Black Friday. Which is the complete opposite of what Thanksgiving is all about. To me, Black Friday is disgusting. All I think about is a group of people charging at these poor retail employees (who would probably much rather be at home with their families) only to get 30% off of a TV which they do not even need. Honestly, after you spend a day off of work or school with your family being thankful for what you have, and giving back to others who are having a more difficult day, the last thing you should want is to participate in something like Black Friday.