Let’s face it, we are no longer in the “Season of Giving.” We are in the “Season of Wanting Everything and Getting Really Bitter If We Don’t Get What We Wanted.” We are no longer thankful for being blessed with the ability to wake up each morning. We are no longer thankful to sit around the table, surrounded by our loved ones for the annual Thanksgiving dinner. We are thankful for the retail workers who wake up early on Thanksgiving morning to assure we can purchase the items we want. We are thankful to have the ability to stand in a crowded line for hours on end, just to be the first person in the store when the clock strikes midnight on Black Friday.

We have left ourselves to ask nothing but one simple question: what has happened to the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Year after year, America is changing. The significance of each holiday is transforming, and that being said, Thanksgiving is no longer centered on being thankful for the items that truly matter in our lives, but it focused on the materialistic items that are taking over our lives.

Popular retail store K-Mart has announced that they will open their doors to eager Christmas shoppers at six o’clock on Thanksgiving morning. Other stores are opening between the hours of eight and midnight on Thanksgiving evening. What does this mean?

It means that thousands of people across the nation will be spending the day of thankfulness stocking shelves, ringing items, and dealing with the rush of customers for 41 hours. Yes, K-Mart will be open for 41 hours straight, Thursday through Friday.

Others will spend their Thanksgiving rushing to get the last item on the shelves. Don’t be surprised if your favourite aunt is not at the annual Thanksgiving family dinner – she is most likely purchasing the latest gadgets for Christmas presents.

America is falling into the customs of consumerism. We must learn to realise what really matters in our lives, not the materialistic items that assist in making our lives easier. What truly matters is the roof protecting us from what lies outside, the clothes to keep our bodies warm, and the ability to wake up and see the sunrise.

This year, on November 28th, when it comes time to share what you are thankful for, will you be thankful for what truly counts?