THANKSGIVING TIME IS FAMILY TIME – Around The Frame

Thanksgiving Day will soon be here and many Americans will gather to enjoy a meal and give thanks for their many blessings.

I find it sad people feel the need to shop on Thanksgiving Day and store owners feel compelled to open their doors to keep up with their competition. For once the Day is over it is on to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday culminating with the frenzy of Christmas Eve shopping.

The Small Business Saturday was launched by American Express in 2010: Go figure. So one of the few times out of the year that family business owners can enjoy a four – day holiday, giving them a chance to travel and visit family, everyone is suppose to be manning the decks to accommodate shoppers.

Not so on the 4000 block of South Wayne Avenue. Both the Friendly Fox and Born Again Quilts will be closed the entire weekend as we put our families first. There will still be three and a half weeks before Christmas Eve to come down and enjoy a meal, a snack, a coffee, or browse the quilts. Family business owners put a lot of time into their work beyond the hours they are opened to the public. It seems disingenuous for marketers to dream up these promotions to “help” locally owned businesses to the detriment of their family time.

Click to advertise on this website

Instead of two days after Thanksgiving, a better time to encourage local Christmas shopping would be the first Saturday weekend in December. December 6 is St. Nicholas Day. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of merchants and children.

As I look back over this past year, I have so much to be grateful for and people to be grateful to. I plan to take time this Thanksgiving Day to reflect, and spend meaningful time with those I hold dear.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Lois Levihn is the owner of Born Again Quilts.