The War on Christmas is Fake, but the War on Thanksgiving Seems Sadly Real

It's almost December and we're already surrounded by holiday sensory experiences.  Christmas lights adorn houses (including ours), the aroma of pine trees and hot cocoa is in the air, and Fox and Friends are raving about holiday trees.  Yes, every year Faux News and its allies beat the drum rolls of the War on Christmas, wherein liberal atheist socialists seek out to destroy Christianity by saying "Happy Holidays" to you.  It's a load of garbage not worthy of a full blog post (though at some point I do plan to address the myth of Christian persecution).  What irks me is that these same people seem to have no qualm with the overwhelming crush of consumerism that now taints the Christmas season.  It now threatens to ruin a holiday that every American regardless of creed can celebrate, and that is sad.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that Black Friday can be a bit fun.  But that's just it - it's supposed to be Friday.  I never got up at 4 AM to hit Best Buy, but I've gone on numerous shopping experiences later in the day.  A once-a-year orgy in capitalism isn't so bad.  If people want to fight over mediocre TVs at Wal-Mart, well, that's the free market I suppose.  But beginning last year Wal-Mart and a few other stores started their Black Friday deals...on Thursday.  And where Wal-Mart goes, so will most others.  This year many stores opened at 8 PM, with almost all the rest following at midnight.  And I can't really blame them, because the people were there to make it a success.  Faced with ever-increasing online competition, these big box retailers have become experts at creating artificial demand, and as long as people are gullible enough to go for it, Black Thursday looks to be here to stay.

The way this cuts into the actual holiday of Thanksgiving upsets me.  If people are hell-bent at hitting the stores at 8, they have to go earlier, effectively cutting their holiday in half.  More and more people have to spend the holiday away from their family to work.  I am defensive of Thanksgiving because it should be a holiday that all Americans can get behind.  Yes, it has some controversial origins, what with the mass slaughter of native peoples and all.  However, I think that can be divorced from the fundamental idea of breaking bread and giving thanks with your fellow man, regardless of cultural identity.  It is a day to relax, eat good food, and spend quality time with family and friends.  There's no stress of gift shopping.  It can be religious but only if you want it to be, and even then isn't limited to a specific religion.  That's something Christmas can never claim (pagan origins beside the point.)

So, as you prepare for the holidays this year, pour one out for Thanksgiving.  Hopefully it will remain a great American holiday, but only if we are collectively willing to hold off the Christmas tsunami one more day.