Apparently this has happened before, but I missed it. Walmart and many of the nation’s top retailers are offering their “Black Friday” deals beginning on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day at 6PM. In fact, Walmart is offering over 20 “guaranteed items” that you may not be able to get any other time, except during those times. Best Buy and others are offering similar Thursday-only deals. “Black Friday” is slowly moving more and more into Thanksgiving Thursday… So they’re calling it the “Black Friday Creep.”
You know, I can understand how, in a market inundated with extreme competition, playing against online retailers, consumer dollars harder to get… I can understand how they have to do what they think they have to do. The competition is stiff, and if ONE player starts the game early, then they all feel like they have to jump in and compete, or potentially lose sales. From a retailer’s perspective, it makes total sense.
But is this really what we’ve come to as a nation? Thanksgiving is called “Thanksgiving” for a reason, isn’t it? It is a day that we as a nation decided was important enough to set aside as a national holiday to rest, recuperate, and reflect on all the blessings that we have been given. It is day of giving thanks to the One who has given us all the blessings we enjoy. It is a day set aside for us to restore our soul.
Now, Thanksgiving is already kind of diminished by football, the parades, by everybody working hard to make the meal just right, and everything else… Now the capitalism creeps even farther in, devolving it just a little more… If you want the really good deals for this Christmas… Well, those are on Thursday.
So I have a question for you. Is saving $50 on a TV really worth it? Are you willing to sacrifice the health of your soul for a good deal on your Christmas gifts? Some deals just aren’t about the money.
Sure, I realize that some families really enjoy the shopping experience together… It might even be part of their “love language.” So it would be easy to just say, “hey.. Just be sure to work your actual giving of thanks in at some point over the weekend. You don’t have to do it on Thursday… Just make sure you get it in somehow. Sure. But, doesn’t it seem very hypocritical of us Christians to be praying for God to spiritually reawaken our country, yet abdicating our responsibility to the families in our nation, causing them to work on a national day of rest and Thanksgiving?
So, I don’t know about you, but I am NOT going out to shop on Thanksgiving Day. I say don’t listen to the voices of capitalism when they scream “save, save.” I say get the regular Friday deal, or just go without. Nothing… NOTHING you buy this Christmas could possibly be as valuable as the time you could and should be spending with your family, giving thanks to God. What good is gaining the whole world if you only lose your soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
In fact, I will go one further… Take some time on Thanksgiving and talk with your kids about WHY you aren’t doing this. Ask your children whether they think the stuff is more important, or spending time with God is more important. I’m pretty sure I know how they will answer. AND I am positive that having this kind of spiritually formative discussion with your family will be the thing they talk about for decades to come. They’ll forget whatever you buy them, but they will remember and live by the spiritual value you instill in them this holiday season.
Don’t be a Black Friday Creep this holiday season. Make this Thanksgiving count for something more than merchandise.