The Day of Thanks and Giving...

This coming Thursday, November 26, 2009 is THANKSGIVING, the day we sit down and gorge ourselves on too much food and watch football on TV.

WAIT! It's supposed to be the day that we sit down to give thanks for and share our bounty with others, no National Pig-out and Veg-Out Day that is has become!

More alarming still, it is becoming the day to rest-up for the next day which is retailers BLACK FRIDAY.

Followers of this humble blog know that I am all up for a good bargain and some frugal fun. However, I am totally against shopping on Thanksgiving and the craziness of Black Friday. 

Last Black Friday a person was trampled to death in a mad Black Friday crush at a Walmart in New York. Think it couldn't happen here in old Virginia? Think again. 

When Henrico County had sale of used Mac laptops for $50.00 each, old ladies, kids and a pregnant woman were knocked down by crazed, greedy bargain seekers. Luckily no one was seriously injured that time, but it could happen when lunatics bent on grabbing up cheap electronics stampede like elephants over anyone and anything in the way of their golden prize.

I know the economy is tight right now and we want bargains more than ever, but think about the madness of camping out overnight in cold weather for 'door busters' in the wee early hours, grumpy sleep-deprived, underpaid retail clerks, employees and manic, pushy people that are the typical Black Friday. I think that craziness says a lot about the ills of our society and economy.

Me, I'm looking around for bargains, but I'm NOT going out on Black Friday. I'm waiting for Cyber Monday where the only crowds will be hogged bandwidth !

And on Thanksgiving, I am going to feast with friends and give thanks for my blessings.
This year instead of the mad-dash for the bargain aisle, why don't we spend our time, money and energy with friends and family and on helping the less fortunate among us?