I will not knowingly patronize any retail business during the Christmas shopping season that is open on Thanksgiving and forcing its employees to work on that day. Right now that list includes at least three major retailers, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Target. Shame on them.
Enough with the greed already!
Christmas: Christ Renewing All of Creation
16 hours ago
3 comments:
Well, seeing as Thanksgiving is not really a religious or even international holiday, I can't hold too much malice towards those retailers that are open for regular hours on Thanksgiving. Certainly, my parents both had to work on Thanksgiving from time to time, as one built houses and the other was a nurse.
I do agree that I refuse to patronize those stores that are opening on Midnight of Thanksgiving day and forcing their employees to work vast amounts of overtime, even before Black Friday. That's where I personally draw the line.
I agree with you. More and more places are open on Thanksgiving, including restaurants, particularly fast food. While its true that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, its one that has always had a special focus on family and gratitude that any Christian can proudly support.
This situation is just the latest phase in the disappearance of days which could be dedicated to family time. It used to be that everyone had time off on Sundays and on holidays. Everyone took time away from the business of buying and selling stuff and earning a living. The lowly wage slave got the same holidays and holy days off as the rich man did. There was no shops or restaurants open to take Mom or Dad away from the family or shopping malls or movie theaters open to pull the kids away. Now the families lucky enough to have Thanksgiving off wolf down their feast and head off to shop making the low wage earner slave to serve them instead of being with their own families. God forbid that anyone should have to stay in the house with their family for one lousy day.
This all started with businesses opening on Sunday. Before long Thanksgiving will only be a holiday that the well off will be able to enjoy. Christmas too is already well on its way to becoming just another damn shopping day. How many days to shop do we honestly need????
It makes me see red frankly. Its not just disrespectful of our traditions, it is also so grossly unfair to all those people who will be forced to work on those days.
I have not darkened the door of a Jack in the Box since they were the first fast food restaurant to open on Christmas. But if I was to stop shopping at all the places that are open on Thanksgiving, before long I wouldnt be able to shop anywhere. The best I have managed to do is to refuse to go out of the house on these days. At least I can see to it that noone has to serve me instead of being with their families. If only more people would do the same.
I am not sure I agree with the assertions that Thanksgiving is a "secular" holiday. It's origins are Protestant, but the nature of the holiday is definitely religious. In fact I would be hard pressed to think of a holiday that is more Christian outside of Christmas and Easter. Also it is, or at least was, the only really major holiday that had been spared direct commercialization on any significant scale.
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