Happy Black Friday (Cincinnati, Mason, Milford: home, legal, shoppers)

[kjbrill]

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I want to wish everyone a Happy Black Friday. It is very satisfying to realize how many people are out there pushing and shoving each other for some perceived savings. It is doubly satisfying to see how many outfits have now pushed it up to 8:00 PM on Thanksgiving night. A real spirit of Thanksgiving. I think you can guess who you will NOT see out there.

We experienced a very satisfying Thanksgiving with all of the kids and grandkids within hailing distance of Cincinnati here yesterday. The only one missing was the family stationed in Hawaii. A very satisfying family time.

A very poor time to see the greed in so many companies and people come out.

[CarpathianPeasant]

A real Thanksgiving is a community feast rather than a family affair.

And, even more important, the American Thanksgiving is truly an American holiday while Christmas, although it is a legal holiday, is a religious thing from many lands.

You can't blame the retailers for trying to cash in on what the public demands. You can only blame the public for supporting it.

Now, would someone like to describe any cummunity feasts in and around Cincinnati, such as does Mason, Ohio have one? If not, why not? Why haven't long-time local residents instituted one?

[Futuremauian]

My family did our part to quash the ever-creeping opening times on Thanksgiving, by STAYING HOME. It is just wrong for retailers to force their employees to give up this family holiday. At minimum, work that day should be voluntary, and at premium pay. JMHO!

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by CarpathianPeasant

A real Thanksgiving is a community feast rather than a family affair.

And, even more important, the American Thanksgiving is truly an American holiday while Christmas, although it is a legal holiday, is a religious thing from many lands.

You can't blame the retailers for trying to cash in on what the public demands. You can only blame the public for supporting it.

Now, would someone like to describe any cummunity feasts in and around Cincinnati, such as does Mason, Ohio have one? If not, why not? Why haven't long-time local residents instituted one?

Somehow there is this concept the original Thanksgiving was some sort of communal feast. I have seen very little to actually support this. That is not surprising, since so many of our myths are supported by dubious facts.

So I will take opposition that it is a family holiday. If you are fortunate enough to have a few kids and they are fortunate enough to have some progeny, you have the makings of a family celebration. Now if you are in a position to not value a family celebration, I feel sorry for you. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to celebrate everything you have received in life. And family support is at the top of the list. Others may turn you down, but as long as your family supports you the welcome mat is out.

[WILWRadio]

I parked my car at home around 8:30 PM on Wednesday night and took two days off from work. I will not set foot in my car again until 2 PM on Saturday when I have to begin my journey back to work. This sums up my view of what corporate greed and greedy customers have done to our holiday. They ruined Christmas and now Thanksgiving is just about finished.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Somehow there is this concept the original Thanksgiving was some sort of communal feast. I have seen very little to actually support this. That is not surprising, since so many of our myths are supported by dubious facts.

So I will take opposition that it is a family holiday. If you are fortunate enough to have a few kids and they are fortunate enough to have some progeny, you have the makings of a family celebration. Now if you are in a position to not value a family celebration, I feel sorry for you. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to celebrate everything you have received in life. And family support is at the top of the list. Others may turn you down, but as long as your family supports you the welcome mat is out.

Whether there are complete and precise records written in stone somewhere or whether there were neither Puritans nor Native Americans gathered somewhere is immaterial. The concept as such exists, and it forms the basis of the traditions of the holiday that was established. After all, if a family or clan wants to gather and give thanks for their blessings, they can do it at any convenient time. And, for that matter people who adhere to the Jewish faith do have a holiday of thanksgiving which happens to be at another time and is not a U.S. legal holiday.

And, you need not feel sorry for me personally as I had somewhere around two decades of "over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house" ... and finally realized there was more to it than that.

Small towns would seem to be ideal places for such things. Do we take it that the thought never entered a head in Mason, Ohio? ( )

[hensleya1]

Hi all--

I was at Wal-Mart at about 7:30 PM and it was a freaking zoo. Luckily, the one thing I wanted - a shop vac- wasn't Saran wrapped, so I could just get it, and get out of there before it got too bad.

I was strongly tempted by the $38 Blu-ray player, but I'm going to have a hard time accepting that my DVD collection will become obsolete, and that I'll have to start over. (I probably won't, it's too expensive.)

[abr7rmj]

I thoroughly disagree with making employees work Thanksgiving night just to get a rush on the shoppers. But Black Friday is of utmost importance to retailers and our economy and I'm never going to be one to criticize it.

And while I personally don't get up at 4 a.m. to shop, I do like to be among all the hustle and bustle. I think it's kind of fun - for a little while at least.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

I parked my car at home around 8:30 PM on Wednesday night and took two days off from work. I will not set foot in my car again until 2 PM on Saturday when I have to begin my journey back to work. This sums up my view of what corporate greed and greedy customers have done to our holiday. They ruined Christmas and now Thanksgiving is just about finished.

Sorry, but I don't see it that way. There's no way "they" can ruin either Thanksgiving or Christmas for me. Both holidays have meaning for me that involves very little in the way of consumerism, and I celebrate them in my own way. I extend the same tolerance to others whose ways may be different, although it does sadden me that people who don't want to work on the holidays may be forced to.

Realistically, traditional Thanksgiving celebrations are vulnerable to changing times. Families are smaller, often spread across the country, and travel is expensive. It's not the social structure of the 1950's a lot of us grew up with.

[jlawrence01]

I was at Walmart in Milford at 11 am and it took me approximately SIX minutes to get in and get out. No crowds at all.

Most of my Christmas shopping was done in October.