How Quickly People Forget What Is Truly Important

Yesterday, I wrote a silly story about my difficulties with Thanksgiving. (You can read the entry here: No Thanks) The truth of the matter is, Thanksgiving is my second favorite day of the year; no other holiday can compare. Thanksgiving provides us time with family and friends, great food, football, relaxation, and leftovers. (If you never purchased the Thanksgiving Day sandwich from D’Angelo, you my friend have yet to live!)

It seems our culture has a way of removing the essence from each holiday. I hate to say it, but consumerism trumps all else. Arguably, the two most effected events are Christmas and Thanksgiving.

The way I see it, Black Friday is a horrible idea. When I grew up, no one mentioned the term; people only cared about spending time with family and friends; that’s what the holiday is all about. It isn’t about the pilgrims and their dinner with the Native Americans; only school children care about the pilgrims. (If you’re an adult and you thought about the pilgrims during your Thanksgiving Day, you might be insane!)

For those who are not familiar with Black Friday, the day marks the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season. Traditionally, stores open earlier than the normal business hours and select items are marked down. (This seems like a wonderful concept, but it is a bad idea!)

Looks like a great time!

     Normally, stores open around 7am, but this year has changed everything; stores opened their doors at midnight. Thinking of all the great deals causes people to miss the fact that Black Friday ruins Thanksgiving Day. (There is always a price to pay for greed!)

Families are forced to cut short their time together so people can rush out to brave the November weather (unless you live in a warm climate!) in long lines. The weather is not the major problem; retailers only place a limited number of items on sale, so it is literally a duel to the death. (I am not exaggerating; people have been trampled to death and fights are commonplace!)

The violence is unfortunate, but the loss of the spirit of the day is the biggest downside. Employees are forced to staff the stores, causing them to miss time with their family and friends. The customers also suffer; I read one story about a mom and her son who arrived at a Best Buy at 7pm on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. (What a horrible way to spend such a great holiday!)

I would do away with Black Friday, entirely. The retailers should come up with a better way to kick off the holiday shopping season. A possible solution may be, moving the event to Saturday night, instead of Thursday. Creating a “Black Sunday” will at least allow people to enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday. (Never mind, I completely forgot that the bible forbids us to work on Sundays. Unless of course, you need to make money to support your family; I believe “god” allows the one exception!)

The day is only part of the difficulty, no one should have to put their safety at risk just to get a great deal; retailers need to go back and hire better marketers. I can’t support the creation of a hostile shopping environment; honestly, it just doesn’t make any sense! Black Friday is a horrible idea!

I am against religion so the fact that Christmas has been stolen from the Christians is great. There is no arguing the fact that Santa is far more popular than Jesus; possibly year round, but definitely on December 25^th. I honestly don’t understand how a true Christian can allow Santa to supplant their “lord and savior,” when it comes to importance. Can you honestly say that you ever heard a child being excited about Jesus’ birthday; “the son of god” has actually become an afterthought. As an atheist, this fact brings joy to my heart; religion is losing its influence over the people. (Christians love Jesus, but they love presents a lot more!)

I can remember always being asked, “are you going to mass on Christmas?” It was as if the mass was an option, but no one ever asked, “do you want a Christmas gift this year?” (People can lose relationships with loved ones over forgetting to buy a present!)

No one believes in Santa Claus, but when it comes to the battle of mythical heroes, Jesus gets his ass kicked on Christmas. People may try their best, attempting to explain why they care more about gifts than Jesus, but in the end, religion is nothing but hocus pocus; no one actually cares. People only turn to religion in times of hardship, and that’s it. Each Christian, who loves Jesus, may lie to me, but they must wake up and look themselves in the mirror and admit the fact that Jesus doesn’t really matter on Christmas! (WHO CARES IF IT’S HIS BIRTHDAY?)

Although I only became an atheist earlier this year, I left religion a long time ago; I guess I always saw through the ridiculousness of it all.

To Best Buy, I say, it would be wonderful to purchase a forty two inch HD Flat-screen television for only one hundred and ninety-nine dollars, but it is not worth me losing the second best day of the year! (Everyone knows that April 18th is the greatest day of the year! Don’t be an idiot and argue this fact!)

Please allow me to kick off the holiday season and be the first to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

     I often hear Christians say, “Jesus comes first, then family and money.” Nothing could be further from the truth. I challenge all Christians to take back the day, for their “lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” If you truly love Jesus, skip the gifts and spend Christmas day doing what Jesus would do. Take all of your Christmas cash and help out those who are less fortunate. Once you exhaust your extra funds, spend the rest of your day celebrating with family and friends, worshipping the birthday boy. (I didn’t think so! Santa Rules the day!)

The Grinch didn’t steal Christmas; the true culprit was Santa, and he stole the day from Jesus.

@PeteTeix617