It’s official: the holidays are in the air and it’s the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it? The holiday season always begins with Thanksgiving, which landed on November 26th this year. While sitting at the dinner table during Thanksgiving, many families will  take the time out to give thanks and share how grateful they are for each other. But recently, many people have been ditching the Thanksgiving turkey and apple pie and going shopping instead.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day where people show their appreciation for what they have, not for what they want more of. However, in today’s world, Thanksgiving is no longer enough; people are not satisfied. Instead of simply enjoying the time with their family and the food on their plate, many people feel compelled to buy products like the latest iPhone or a new flat screen television just because they see the word “sale”. Black Friday, the day right after Thanksgiving, has become a nationwide phenomenon. It is a day filled with low prices and long lines, but more importantly, it is an accurate representation of American greed.

As a country, we have taken Thanksgiving and depleted it of its value, because Black Friday has stolen the limelight. The reason Thanksgiving is being overshadowed is because Americans are very materialistic. They are more concerned about getting the best deals, even it it means standing outside of a store hours before it opens in order to be one of the first customers. Black Friday is no longer just on Friday, either. Many stores, such as Walmart, are opening up as early as 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. Ridiculous, right? It is simply ironic that the very next day is entirely devoted to shopping, which is the exact opposite of what the purpose of the holiday is.