Quick -- Give Thanks and Move On

I read an article that talked about the increased number of stores that were opening on Thanksgiving. One quote was particularly disturbing to me:

"Some people just can't wait until Friday," said Kirsten Whipple, a Sears spokeswoman. "Thanksgiving dinner is done and they have moved on."

Has our society lost the ability to connect with family and friends on a holiday? I remember many Thanksgivings where we spent most of the day playing games, talking, and watching football games with our extended family. We ate a large lunchtime meal together, and we stayed long enough to have turkey sandwiches and another round of desserts at dinnertime. I've always had a large portion of my family living locally, and we looked forward to any opportunity to play with cousins and reconnect even if it had only been a few weeks since we had been together.

This quote makes it seem like we should treat our holiday like a business interruption -- eat quickly and move on to the real work. We can't even take one day to relax and focus on our blessings. And, as a result, many of our friends and neighbors have to work on the holiday just so we can 'move on'.

It's a sad statement.