Excerpted from John Thorpe's column at benzinga.com:

"It is safe to say that my family holds Thanksgiving in high esteem. It is, in fact, my favorite holiday — more than Christmas, more than Halloween, more than even my own birthday and all the narcissistic pleasure that comes with it. Thanksgiving is the epitome of life: there is sharing, good food, no concern for anything but the moment. There is, above all, love.

And stuffing. Good lord, do not skip the stuffing.

For as far as I can remember, Thanksgiving was its own event, its own celebration, its own holiday. We had the Thanksgiving Day parade and the Detroit Lions football game, along with dad catching a good beer buzz by noon. We'd savor the scent of roasting turkey all day long, as crisp winds blew outside, knocking down the holdout leaves, the last remnants of summer.

By the time we came to eat, the metaphor had completed itself. With this meal, I'd think, fall was over. This was the celebration before the hibernation. This was the last chance to eat two kinds of potatoes and three kinds of pie. This was the absolute apex of my year.

After the meal I'd nap, catch a little television, and laze around. Christmas was the furthest thing from my mind.

But now? Nowadays, Christmas intrudes upon Thanksgiving — quite rudely, I might add. Retailers treat employees like Ebeneezer Scrooge might, forcing them to miss the holiday with their families so they can work long hours pushing carts, scanning sale items, and beating back crowds of thousands of ignorant people.

What was once its own proud holiday has become a gateway for Christmas... Black Friday, the national night of waiting in line in the freezing cold to trample strangers in a store chasing bargains, is now the highlight of the week. Thanksgiving is just the tailgating meal before the bargain-shopping begins. I think this is just wrong.
...
It's about time that someone stood up to the encroachment of Santa Claus and his Christmas present bonanza upon the other holidays. If only our retails sector would get the message, and stand down from these insane encroachments on the greatest holiday of the year.

Think about it. Is there any logical reason for people to need to shop for bargains at midnight, in the cold, on the evening of a holiday? Wouldn't it make more sense for all retailers to band together and agree to open their doors at a reasonable time on Friday, instead?

Let the workers have their holiday. Let American families eat turkey in peace. And for the love of all things stuffed and holy, let my son and I pass out in our mashed potatoes, unbothered by the happenings of the rest of the world."