The holiday season is finally here and with it, a concoction of advertisements and controversy. As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, it’s the traditional holiday’s younger sibling, Black Friday that will be getting most of the notoriety. And like many younger siblings, Black Friday has taken over this time of year and begun to overshadow Thanksgiving as the prominent November celebration.

With deals and savings on everything you could want, Black Friday has drawn ire from many traditionalists who still believe that Thanksgiving is the time for appreciation and family. So while my mother has come to sit, fume and scorn the television for every deal and sale advertised, my girlfriend has found much less kinder words to share as the Christmas season media craze blots out her favorite holiday. Given the opportunity to write an article for the Clarion I thought, ‘I must not be the only one who has this experience, right?’ After all, many of our Facebook feeds have been littered recently with the Starbucks’ ‘Red Cup all-out assault on Christmas’, so there must be something worth talking about concerning Black Friday’s monopolization of Thanksgiving.

And after a quick a search for stories and articles online, I did find a story: Sales and steals. That is to say I found advertisements. It was a never-ending stream of advertisements and product placements. After a little while of sifting through the headlines for an opinion article or something, anything to get my creative juices flowing, I found an article online by The Christian Science Monitor entitled, “Thanksgiving Day sales: JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Target kick off Black Friday early,” by Caroline Thompson. Exasperated from my search I thought to myself, ‘now here is some action!’ The article started out by detailing how, despite expected lower sales, many retail chains were moving their Black Friday sales up to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Now you might think that this is were the commentary gets colorful. So imagine my disappointment as the article evolved into a pseudo-marketing advert to build interest and share sales information. Even going as far to discuss Kohl’s being “one of the best, most underrated Black Friday sales in the business.”

Feeling deterred I looked up to watch the football game that I had turned on for background noise, hoping for a distraction. Instead I was greeted with a commercial for Black Friday. Believe me when I say that I wasn’t surprised. So how is it that people could become militant over a paper cup but didn’t lift a finger or utter a peep in defense of poor old Thanksgiving?

In my family it has been well documented that I am the family Grinch. I have never been a big fan of holidays and that has yet to change. However, something seemed like it was missing. Where were the commercials with dad at the head of the table cutting up the turkey and serving it to the family? I hate to admit it but as cliché’ as it is, it would be a welcomed sight. I know in this day and age many people have chosen to celebrate holidays in their own ways or even abstain entirely from some. I completely understand and respect different people live different lives with different prerogatives. But Thanksgiving has always been a day to take a step away from the media clutter and appreciate the people we are with and what we have. When I think about people who may have to work on Thanksgiving Day and don’t get to enjoy their time with loved ones it is unnerving.

I hope everyone make some great, affordable purchases this year but I also urge everyone to look up from their cell phones, put down their credit cards and take a moment this holiday season to expression your appreciation for the people who support you, your good health or even new opportunities. And tell your grandparents that you love them. Call them if you have to. Believe me that no matter how much you save on your gifts on Friday, nothing will be more important than taking a moment to say “thank you.”