I’m sure you’ve noticed the process of the retail world.  On January 2, stores start rolling out the Valentine’s day swag. By February 15, they’ve moved on to Easter, then Mothers Day (and possibly Father’s Day). Before Summer is over, the Halloween products roll in. Then, as early as November 1, it’s suddenly Christmas time.

You shouldn’t have to wonder why.  With each and every one of these holidays comes an enormous amount of spending.

Thanksgiving, however, is not the type of holiday that elicits a large amount of shopping.  There aren’t traditional Thanksgiving decorations, there is no gift giving, just a lot of shopping for food, which in the grand scheme of things, does not carry a high profit margin.

So why is Thanksgiving mostly ignored, especially by retail establishments? There just isn’t enough money to be made around Thanksgiving to invest in promoting or supporting it. Also, Christmas (and the other surrounding celebrations) can make or break the year for a retailer.  The sooner they get you, the consumer, thinking about Christmas, the more likely you are to begin spending money on it.

The only thing those retailers are thankful for every year, is your cash.

So, if you’re already listening to the Christmas music 24/7 on the radio (an obvious ploy for Christmas advertising dollars), already buying decorations, and putting up your tree, you may be helping to support the continuing holiday commercilization mentality. And in the process, you might be disrespecting Thanksgiving, a holiday that retailers apparently would rather you forget about (except for the fact that Black Friday is the next day).

Tags: christmas, thanksgiving