As we get into the thick of the holiday season Christmas is fast approaching. Naturally, with Christmas, everyone begins to think immediately of the presents. They think of the things they want and the things they may get for other people.

As people think of getting gifts and giving them they must first purchase them. As Americans, we are often looking for the cheapest items, something that is cheaper than normal. One of the most popular days of the year for this kind of shopping is often known as Black Friday.

Black Friday occurs immediately following Thanksgiving day. The sales open on Friday and people would line up outside all kinds of stores looking for the best deals. Yet as our country’s desire for materialistic things progresses so does our demand for more sales. Black Friday has started to worm its way into beginning on Thursday. The doors to many stores open at 10 p.m. on Thursday. People leave their homes and begin to line up at many places from Target to Best Buy to Dicks Sporting Goods.

While this may seem efficient because people have more time to shop there are actually some major downsides. With Black Friday beginning on Thursday, many people are leaving their families to shop. Thanksgiving dinners and festivities are cut short by people leaving. Families are losing precious time together over simple materialistic gifts when “use” is the best gift anyone could give. Family gatherings are interrupted by the search of cheaper deals. As we look for more gifts we forget not only the meaning of one holiday but two.

Thanksgiving is a time we should be spending with each other, celebrating the things we are thankful for. Black Friday beginning earlier is hurting that precious time. We begin to buy gifts for Christmas. But the truth is that Christmas isn’t about the gifts either. We have begun to lose the meaning of not one but two holidays all by starting Black Friday shopping on Thursday.

We need to go back and embrace the true meaning of both holidays and focus on the true meaning of them.

Black Friday simply needs to remain on Friday and not start any sooner. While some families do find it enjoyable to go shopping together it is not friendly for all ages. Many young children shouldn’t be exposed to the environment that Black Friday brings because people tend to go a little crazy and older people don’t find it as appealing to go walking around a store for hours at a time. Young children and grandparents would benefit much more by the families being able to stay at home and spend time together on Thursday night and the shopping itself should be left on Friday.