Paul Sassone

War is being waged on some of our most cherished customs, traditions and values.

Some say the aggressors are liberals, environmentalists, unions, scholars, scientists — have I left anyone out? — oh, yes, immigrants.

And they are right.

About traditions being under attack.

But, I beg to differ on the identity of the aggressors.

Take Thanksgiving, for instance, a cherished tradition if ever there was one.

It wasn’t long ago that when we thought of Thanksgiving we thought, “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go …”

We envisioned a Norman Rockwell holiday gathering of family seated around a roast turkey with all the trimmings. There was laughter and catching up on what everyone had been doing since the last family

get-together.

Thanksgiving was a true holiday, a day of rest, a day off, a day we didn’t do business.

Then came Black Friday.

And Black Friday violently transformed Thanksgiving from a day for families to a 24-hour orgy of consumeristic greed.

When we now think of Thanksgiving, what do we see?

We see sales clerks required to work through the night.

We see dinners cut short so family members can go shopping.

We see lines of bargain-famished shoppers lined up in the cold and dark.

We see our neighbors physically fighting with each other for that last big-screen TV bargain.

This is what Thanksgiving has evolved into.

It never again will be the almost pastoral celebration of family.

Thanksgiving and shopping are becoming synonyms.

And that is the end of that.

Who has wrought this twisted meaning?

Not the usual suspects.

We can thank the business community for this new Thanksgiving.

It is kind of ironic that conservative businesspeople, defenders of the status quo, who resist so many changes are the ones responsible for cheapening Thanksgiving.

But, sellers can’t thrive without buyers.

It just might be possible to reclaim Thanksgiving — if we wanted to,

if we just said no and stayed home with the family on Thanksgiving.

I’m not too optimistic, though.

—Thank business community for the new Thanksgiving–