Thanksgiving ... A Black Thursday?

I wonder how many young people know what Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, stands for. I betcha if you get a group of high schoolers together (perhaps even collegians), three-quarters would have no idea.

Simply put, merchandise sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving usually bring the retail outlets into the "black," which means they begin making a profit on their sales for the year. Red ink = losses, black ink = gains. Hence, Black Friday.

Personally, I think it's pretty sad that it takes that long for store to start making money. So do the stores, apparently. There was a time that stores never opened on Thanksgiving Thursday, then opened at their regular hours on the next day. Then, they began opening earlier, like 4 a.m. Then, they began opening at midnight.

Now, if you look at the ads, some are moving their opening hours up a few more hours into the scared realm of Thanksgiving Day ... "Black Thursday."

Some people are very, very upset with that. Thanksgiving, they say, is a day to spend with family, not helping those greedy companies take advantage of people and earning more money. Boycott, they cry, boycott!

Personally, that's stupid. Stores open on Thanksgiving doesn't bother me. I consider it a sign of the times. Business is bad, and the manufacturers and retailers are trying everything they can to stay in business, with the ultimate result that their workers can keep their jobs. Good business is good for everybody.

Plus, there are those who go into depression when they spend Thanksgiving alone. They could be helped by keeping their minds and bodies busy working to make others feel joyous. Slim thought, I know, but it's valid.

Remember when stores were closed on Christmas and New Year's Days? Many shopping centers began opening on New Year's, and I'm sure more and more will be opening on New Year's and perhaps even Christmas this year. It doesn't bother me. As much as we like to make Christmas a religious holiday, it's secular as well.

So please, stop sending me emails about boycotting stores on Thanksgiving.