I just heard on the news that it’s illegal for business to be open today in Mass.
Did I hear (tv’s in another room) correctly? If so, how extensive is the law?
And is this, messing with free enterprise aside*, a bad thing?
*What I mean here, is how does this work for business, patrons, and workers etc? I really don’t care about the sin against capitalism in general.
Peace,
mangeorge
It’s true. It’s an old blue law that’s still on the books.
I just watched the History Channel’s little documentary about the history of Thanksgiving, and from what I can tell New England - specifically Massachusetts, which was home to Sarah Josepha Hale - was really fucking serious about Thanksgiving.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that Mass. might have some really really old rules about the holiday.
A snippet from the show (if that link doesn’t take you to the right video, choose the 5:33 “History of Thanksgiving” clip.)
A little more info on the history of Thanksgiving in America as a National Holiday
Actually, while New England has more Blue Laws than the rest of the country and Massachusetts has more surviving Blue Laws than the rest of New England, Thanksgiving is one day where they are almost not needed.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are the three days when extremely few retail outlets are open (and most restaurants are closed). In my neck of the woods, only one supermarket and K-Mart were open, along with our three drug stores. All the full service restaurants and all but one of the fast food eateries were closed. Even a couple of gas stations had reduced hours. (There is enough Thanksgiving travel that they cannot close completely, but they often shut down early.) I could not give an exact date, but it has not been that many years since neither the supermarket nor K-Mart would have been open, leaving only the drug stores and gas stations to pick up emergency rations.
Some stores here are opening late tonight! Others are opening very early tomorrow (like 4am).
I like thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. But now it’s getting kinda messed up by christmas. Has been for some years, I guess. Oh well.
I don’t like christmas at all anymore.
Does the Massachusetts law apply to gas stations and pharmacies too?
Although it may be a law on the books, it’s certainly not inforced. Some gas stations, convenience stores and restaurants are open.
That’s as I suspected. You just can’t say “no” to us Americans, huh. 