Why I Think It’s OK To Shop On Thanksgiving

Let me start by saying, I KNOW I'm going to get a lot of hate for this. But, I think it's OK to shop on Thanksgiving, and often times I do. Hear me out first before you call me out.

• First of all, many people already have to work on Thanksgiving. Doctors, nurses, paramedics, police officers, firefighters, people in the military, security staff, hotel staff, Taxi drivers, prison workers, 911 call center staff, pharmacists, convenience store workers, tow truck drivers, etc. all have to work. The list goes on and on. So, why do we pretend like everyone has that day off besides retail workers? That's simply not true. My mom is a nurse and has worked almost every holiday I can think of. We celebrate our tradition that Saturday when she's off work.

• Usually it's fun working that day because your company does fun things for you. I'm not saying that every company does, but usually businesses that are open on the holiday recognize the staff in a special way. My mom's work does a holiday pot luck. I worked in retail on Thanksgiving before and it was exciting. It was a lot of work but it was fun.

• Some places ask you to volunteer to work first. Sometimes there are people that do want to make that extra money and are more than willing to step up and let their co-workers have Thanksgiving off instead.

• Some people like working the holiday to make extra money. My mom usually volunteers to work holidays like Thanksgiving because she makes time and a half. It's an extra pay check for her that usually helps soften the blow of Christmas. She enjoys it. If you are working at a job where they don't offer paid time off, then making extra money that one day will help you to be able to afford a day off down the road.

• Most stores don't open until 6 p.m. You have the whole morning and afternoon to celebrate with your family. You could carve the turkey at noon and still have enough time to make it to work later in the afternoon and evening. I've personally worked retail on Thanksgiving and I celebrated with my family before I went to work.

• Shopping on Thanksgiving has become a tradition for me and my family. After the turkey is carved, the kitchen is cleaned and the football game is on, the women in my family gather in the kitchen to look at the Black Friday deals. Then, around 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. we load up into the car and head out to hunt down the deals as a family. There are holidays where I don't buy a single thing at all. It's more about the excitement of spending time with each other. It's the same reason why people find fun in deer hunting and sitting in a deer stand. It's probably not so much about getting a deer as it is spending time with your pals.

• Spending time with my family, shopping for them and thinking about the joy I will bring them on Christmas is heartwarming. I am truly reminded of how thankful for them I am. I'm thankful that I have such an amazing family that I get to shop for. It launches me into my Christmas spirit.

So yes, I understand the arguments against Thanksgiving shopping and I do respect them. However, personally, I am OK with the stores being open for the reasons I mentioned above. Those who shop on Thanksgiving understand that it's not just about shopping and buying stuff. It's  about getting together with a group of family members and experiencing a memory in the community. It's about spending time with each other. It's about appreciating the people in your life that you love and dreaming about the joy you will be able to bring to them on Christmas morning.