Christmas Sales Should Not Begin Before Thanksgiving

It is completely normal to look forward to different holidays throughout the year. With Christmas being one of the most sought after and most popular holiday of the year, there is no surprise that many people look forward to Christmas months in advance. But when Christmas becomes such a big industry that holiday sales impact the relevance of other holidays, it becomes a problem—especially with Thanksgiving. As a nationally recognized holiday since 1863, Thanksgiving should be just as recognized as Christmas in stores and in the holidays.
According to Gallup.com, “more than nine out of 10 Americans will celebrate the holiday with family and friends.” If over 90 percent of America celebrates thanksgiving, then it is only fair to the holiday that businesses have a regard to the holiday, and then use Christmas in marketing. Thanksgiving is supposed to be a time where people show gratitude for various things, such as family, health, and education. But when this time is bombarded by Christmas music and presents, this can ruin the idea of gratitude and people aren’t as likely to celebrate their gratitude.
Officially, the beginning of holiday shopping starts on Black Friday, the day after thanksgiving. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the official definition of Black Friday is, “the Friday immediately following Thanksgiving Day that is considered by retailers to mark the beginning of the holiday shopping season.” Millions of people celebrate Black Friday by camping outside stores for hours, then shop for various deals and holiday gifts. People believe that Black Friday is just as important as Thanksgiving, but why should they spoil the purpose by putting the beginning of the holiday shopping season before Black Friday? When holiday shopping starts to take place—for example—right after Halloween, the original purpose of Black Friday is almost completely defeated.
The term, holidays, are plural for a reason. The holidays are supposed to be a time period where multiple holidays are celebrated. If people rush into Christmas, then what is the point of holidays when it could just be a two-month long Christmas? What is important is that people celebrate each holiday—or whatever holiday they celebrate this time of the year—fully without rushing straight into Christmas. The true purposes of the holidays are to spend time with family, show gratitude, welcome the first breezes of winter, and THEN start looking forward to Christmas.