I’m with you! Boycott Black Friday!!! And no matter how much your kids/grandkids cry, don’t let 'em see any “NEW Holiday Tradition” type cartoons, or the old “Holly Jolly” awful claymation either.
Take 'em out to see Xmas lights instead. Gas might not be under $3 much longer, but that cretinous crap will never die.
I don’t have a clue in the world what to get my dad and his SO. They’re retired and relatively wealthy and are always complaining that their house is full of stuff. Yet dad wants to keep playing this stupid Christmas game where we exchange gifts by shopping off one another’s Amazon wish lists. But then he can’t be bothered to do this by Dec 25th and so I get my presents in February or March, several months later than if I’d just bought them myself when I wanted them. And this is the holiday tradition dad wants.
Mom, on the other hand, will start pressuring me to come visit her even though I’ve firmly established over the last fifteen years that I don’t like taking off work and traveling at that time of year, and that my employers greatly appreciate my willingness to work while my coworkers are on vacation.
I worked for a movie theater for a couple of years…and the managers always wanted EVERYONE working on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other major holidays. Everyone worked at least one shift on those days. At the time, and possibly this is still in effect, theaters didn’t have to pay overtime, they were exempt from overtime pay laws. And I’m sure that the retail stores don’t pay their clerks any overtime if at all possible. The thing is, most of those stores really don’t need to be open on Thanksgiving day, and it really sucks to be a minimum wage slave and have to go in on a day when most of your relatives are actually around and willing to visit. I don’t think that people actually spend MORE if they have the opportunity to shop during Thanksgiving day, they spend about the same.
If retailers really wanted to boost sales, they should campaign to move Thanksgiving up to the second or third Thursday in November.
As I said just a few posts ago, I don’t buy non-perishables for about six weeks. I’ve done mostly catalog shopping for the gifts I plan to give, and I won’t set foot in a store unless it’s actually either urgent or an emergency shopping situation. I know that Christmas comes around every year, and at the same time every year, so I plan around it. I WILL buy wrapping paper and ribbon during the first week in January…and I’ll try to buy the stuff that can be used for any occasion. OK, call me cheap. My wallet and I don’t mind being called cheap, especially for stuff that’s really trivial.
Oh, and I hit the fabric stores after January 2, as well…I’ve bought remnants of Christmas themed fabrics and made gift bags or covered folding cardboard boxes with that fabric, and the bags and boxes get carefully stored away and re-used for years.
Can’t say that I like going out to see the lights very much, though I will enjoy them when I’m traveling from one place to another.
They called it “Franksgiving.” My father in law (who is 87) was talking about it tonight.
Some of the columns I can readily remember. This one slipped my mind. Gimme a break, that one is nearly a quarter of a century old!
And I think that the Republicans might warm up to the idea a bit now. The football coaches would be delighted, IMO.
To be clear, “Franksgiving” is now the regular Thanksgiving. Second-to-last Thursday in November instead of last Thursday.
“Franksgiving” was a bust for more reasons than outraging tradition.
The original point of moving up the holiday was that in '39, Thanksgiving was going to fall so late as to limit Xmas shopping days to 20 or so. Roosevelt hoped to boost the economy by providing more shopping days. But the retail figures for the next couple of years showed that people weren’t spending any more than they had when Thanksgiving fell later in November.
So there was no reason not to go back to the old way of setting the date.
At this point I’m not sure there’s any reason to do so.
Heh. When I read that, it took me a couple of seconds to remember Blue Laws (laws which prohibited selling anything but food on Sundays). Man, I remember the hassle of grocery shopping on Sunday…I’d have to think twice about buying anything, in case it wasn’t eligible to be sold. Come to think of it, most of the grocery stores were closed on Sunday, too, it was mostly just convenience stores that were open.
^ This.
Although I’m not Jewish, I’m Pagan, but I get the same treatment. Please, enjoy your holiday. And let me enjoy mine.
*::: jumps up and down waving hand in the air ::: * Oh! Oh! Me! I’m not disabled!
It doesn’t. By the way - what’s your excuse, seeing as last I heard you weren’t among the disabled either?
This year, November 26 was the last (fourth) Thursday in the month. Actual clarity means that Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November (even if a given November happens to have five Thursdays). It’s only the next-to-last if November 1 falls on a Wednesday or a Thursday.
She’s PASSIVE?
Cite?

This year, November 26 was the last (fourth) Thursday in the month. Actual clarity means that Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November (even if a given November happens to have five Thursdays). It’s only the next-to-last if November 1 falls on a Wednesday or a Thursday.
Whatever.
To be clear, “Franksgiving” is now the regular Thanksgiving. Second-to-last Thursday in November instead of last Thursday.
First sentence correct, second not. It’s the fourth Thursday in November, regardless of whether there is a fifth.
Yes, that was just pointed out. Sorry for my carelessness.

The way I get through that is by working, then having Chinese food and going to a movie
In other words, you celebrate Christmas by becoming Jewish for a day.
I get around the holidays with one film: Bad Santa uncut version.

*::: jumps up and down waving hand in the air ::: * Oh! Oh! Me! I’m not disabled!
But you’re on the public dole, right?