As Black Friday Shades Thursday

Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays we have left that is not predicated on commerce. A little extra money will end up in the tills of grocers this week, and buses, trains, and planes will be busy, but that is about it. It is a holiday about family, food, and elastic waistbands with a little pigskin thrown in for good measure. Because there is not a lot of money to be made on this day of giving thanks, major retailers leapfrog the holiday to stake their first advertising claims for the Christmas season among retreating jack-o’-lanterns.

This year Black Friday — the day retailers claim to go into the black for their annual sales — is shading the last hours of Thanksgiving on Thursday. Some of the large retailers leading the charge with Thursday hours Target, Sears, Walmart, Kmart, Toys “R” Us, and The Gap.

It is easy to decry this trend in the name of tradition, families, or at least digestion, but the fact of the matter is we have brought on this rush to the cash registers ourselves. The stores may open their doors earlier and earlier, but it is only because we persist in walking through them. And, as it turns out, we shop on Thanksgiving even when the stores are closed; brick and motor stores were inspired to open on the holiday when they saw how much online shopping was taking place.

So rather than criticize and complain about the urge to shop, we encourage people to get on with the holiday season. But take a breather first, enjoy family members while they are around, rest up on Friday if you are lucky enough to have the day off. But on Saturday get up early and start small — because when all the smoke clears from Black Friday it will be Small Business Saturday. Originated by American Express to encourage shoppers to seek out independently owned small businesses through various marketing and promotion tools, the day actually caught on. Last year, more than 100 million people bypassed the big box stores for the day to shop at small local retailers. Notwithstanding the hyped door-buster sales at the megastores, shoppers at the small retail outlets are so satisfied with merchandise and bargains that they are finding there that they are returning year after year in greater numbers.

Last week, everyone in Newtown received The Newtown Bee’s Holiday Gift Guide featuring scores of area business with special offers and savings for local shoppers. If you have misplaced your copy, you can get another at NewtownBee.com. Then get out there and make the most of the holiday season.