I enjoy Thanksgiving. I have fond memories of my mother cooking all of my favorite foods (because really, who doesn’t like turkey, ham, potato salad, green beans, etc…) and us having a house FULL of family members to eat and rejoice with. Of course there was the time off from school, but just the general communion of people was so enjoyable.

There was always the quick dash to the grocery store in the morning because inevitably, something had been forgotten. Usually, a pie crust or some cranberry sauce, but there was always something that we had to rush to the store for, and it had to be done SOON…because it was Thanksgiving Day and the stores didn’t stay open very late.

That was then, this is now.

I’m amazed at the number of stores who are open on Thanksgiving this year. I’ve seen commercials for Wal-Mart, KMart, Target advertising that they’ll be open on Thanksgiving, as well as stores such as Ann Taylor and Old Navy. Hmmmm…

Perhaps it’s just me, but isn’t that strange? I understand it’s a recession, but is there an extreme necessity to be open on Thanksgiving? I feel that our society has very quickly transformed into one that is more and more about things and less about people, family, and experiences.

I understand the Black Friday phenomenon. I also have fond memories of being up in the wee hours of the morning on the Friday following Thanksgiving, traveling to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and several other places to acquire the items on the very long Christmas list that one has as being a part of large family. I just can’t understand the need to begin that shopping on Thursday, on Thanksgiving Day.

It makes me wonder- how thankful are we? And what are we thankful for? Are we just thankful for a day off and another opportunity to spend hard-earned money (or for most people, spend beyond our means), or are we thankful for the chance to enjoy the time with our friends and family, to create memories and have experiences that are priceless?

I’m just wondering…