Thankful Thursday

I think one thing most people can agree on from the past few weeks is how awful all the political ads were. I heard countless people saying that they couldn't wait for the election to be over so the ads would be off television, and I felt the same way.

Yesterday I turned the TV on to watch the news and the majority of the ads were for Christmas deals! This was very disconcerting to me. I understand the importance of shopping early and being prepared for Christmas, but there are ads for "Pre-Black Friday" now. What is Pre-Black Friday?! Apparently, it's going on this weekend at a few stores: you get the same prices and deals you would get if you went to the stores on Black Friday.

But what about the giant holiday between now and Black Friday? Thanksgiving tends to get ignored on television. If you look at it from a marketing standpoint, why shouldn't it be ignored; other than food, what can you get people to buy for it?

But is it appropriate for stores to blatantly bypass Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas? I don't think it is, and apparently, neither did the department store Nordstrom:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/nordstrom-vs-christmas

I love this! I think Nordstrom has the right idea. Full disclosure: when I saw this, I immediately was confused because November 27 is not a Friday this year. This photo was taken in 2009. Regardless, I think the idea is great.

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving! Give thanks for what you have instead of looking ahead to what you can buy at a good price.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi