As someone new to thanksgiving in the U.S. I have got to say, a couple of things have taken me by surprise. Now the fundamentals of turkey-day are not new to me, growing up in Canada we also celebrate thanksgiving, it just happens to fall in October and no one knows why we are giving thanks.
However being a rookie in the American fall classic has certainly afford me some new experiences. The first being the time the feast takes place, today I had "dinner" at 2pm, as in 2 hours past noon. Now I don't really have anything against eating a meal at this time, it's usually when I have lunch. It's just when it is 5 pounds of turkey, gravy and all the sides, my body feels weird.
The second is black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving that marks the start of the Christmas by offering American’s a gluttony of sales. Now I must admit I already knew about this event, but spending the majority of my time in front of the T.V. this break has exposed me to sever lengths retailers go to promote rampant shopping.
J.C. Penny is opening at 4 a.m. That's right as in four hours after midnight, a couple of hours before the sun rises. What possibly posses the CEO of J.C. Penny to think "you know what American's need at 4 a.m.?...Discounted sweaters."
Where has this excessive promotion of consumerism come from? Has it always been inside of us? Probably not, but American culture has never been shy to flex their purchasing power, hell you could argue that the country was built on it. And I am not saying that the promotion of it is evil. But why is it that retailer's need to tempt people with discounted prices on leather coats, t.v.'s and Ipods at 4 a.m?
Why is it that they encourage people to stand in lines for hours, crawl over their fellow man and then punch them in the face for a half priced toaster?
I have no idea, so in the spirit of the season and research I am going to venture out tomorrow in search of that elusive discounted sweater, which if the commercials’ don’t lie, will complete my holiday look.
Wish me luck.
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