Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Editorial

Stay home next Thanksgiving

Eagle Staff

Thanksgiving is a holiday that has traditionally been family oriented, but with a shift in the mind set of the U.S. has come a shift in the meaning of quality family time. Family time used to be categorized by sitting around playing cards or talking. This changed when Thanksgiving football became a fad and changed again when materialism took over.

It should come as no surprise that a nation full to the brim with people who spend more money than they make in a year adds to their crippling debt by spending family time to go buy more stuff that they undoubtedly do not need.

To add to the ludicrousness, there was not an increase in weekend sales in the stores that opened their doors on Thanksgiving. Shoppers that went out on Thursday stayed home on Friday so the same amount of traffic went through the stores. There is no advantage for businesses to be open on the holiday.

Not only do Thanksgiving shoppers take time away from their own families, but they tear retail workers away from their families as well; a thought that is unlikely to cross the average selfish shopper’s mind.

That point aside, don’t stay in from Thanksgiving shopping to save the hard working retail workers from a day riddled with boisterous bargain hunters; do it for yourself. Do it because family is important. Sure, your grandparents probably enjoy watching TV on the ‘bargain’ set you bought on Thanksgiving that you gave to them for Christmas last year, but I promise you that a bigger smile would spread across their lips if they could spend a day with the ones they love.

Complaining about stores being open on Thanksgiving is like beating a dead horse. Progressive writers have done it year after year. There are online petitions to keep the doors of stores closed and blogs dedicated to the cause. The opposition is apparent. But it bears repeating because the cons outweigh the pros.

The true meaning of Christmas has been degraded by materialism and now we have managed to ruin Thanksgiving in the same manner. Pat yourself on the back, America.