Thanksgiving: a time spent with family and friends, to be thankful for each other and appreciate things in life that are important to you. But with Black Friday now starting on Thanksgiving night and Christmas right around the corner, has Thanksgiving lost its importance in what the holiday is really about?

Thanksgiving is supposed to be spent with family, but with stores opening the night of Thanksgiving, shopping can now ruin this time. Macy’s, Best Buy, and Dick’s Sporting Goods just to name a few big company stores, opened this year in the evening of Thanksgiving. Up until just a few years ago, stores opened in the early morning hours of the Friday after Thanksgiving, which did not interfere with spending time with family that maybe other family members have not seen for a while, and want to catch up on years missed.

People should appreciate the time spent during this holiday. Not everyone gets the chance to be with their families and enjoy their company. This time of the year should be focused on the people you love and cherish, instead of the materialistic objects that our society has made such a big deal out of.

Black Friday does not even have that great of deals that make it worth cutting into this family time. Most stores have one or two things on huge sale, but those can be gone within hours of the time they open up. Some stores have everything 50% off, but they usually have that last into the next day, plus the weekend and Cyber Monday. Most clothing stores, like Express, Hollister, and American Eagle, which are all in Clackamas Town Center, have their deals going on the whole weekend and even online.  Is it really worth it to wait in long lines for maybe a half an hour for something not even marked down as much?

To add to that, with Cyber Monday, online shopping becomes very cheap. Most clothing stores have up to 60% their products on sale, and could even result in better deals than going to the actual store. Most online stores will also have free shipping with Cyber Monday or if you spend a certain amount of money, you get free shipping. You may not be able to try on the clothes, but it’s not hard return if you get the wrong size, plus you could still be paying half of what you would in the stores.

Thanksgiving is a time to spend quality time with your family members and maybe even family that you only get to see during the holidays. Instead of trying to hurry up the cooking and when you eat, why not enjoy the moment of the company of your loved ones? Stores, deals and materialistic objects are only temporary, but family is forever.