Remember the time when businesses would actually be closed for big holidays? Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. It was a day for everyone to be home to enjoy fellowship with their families and friends.

Businesses wouldn’t dream of being open on those important holidays. There was no such thing as Grey Thursday. The only place that was guaranteed to be open 24/7 were some diners, which never close or places that service the community like shelters.

Here are a few of the major retailers that were closed on Thanksgiving: Barnes & Noble, B.J.’s, Costco, Home Depot, Ikea, Lowe’s, Marshall’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Office Max/Office Depot, P.C. Richard & Son, Petco/Petsmart, Sam’s Club, Staples and TJ Maxx.

It’s important that employees are given this time off. We know the next day, which is Black Friday, the stores will be a mad house. I’m sure the employees appreciated having that time off, even if they are not being paid for the holiday. It benefits the employee because it makes them feel that the company appreciates them. And guess what? It does.

To me, it’s disheartening when you see retail stores start decorating their windows for Christmas right after Halloween. I love seeing when some homes decorate for Thanksgiving.

I’ve never been a type of person who has the patience to wait in line Thanksgiving evening for the stores to open so I could score big savings.

First of all, I would be too stuffed. If I did venture out, it would be to walk off all the calories I consumed that day. Trust me, shopping is the last thing on my mind.

Each year, unfortunately you always hear about a brawl or someone getting injured or killed during these mad rushes. Is it worth it?

I remember when a store opened last year there was such a big rush when a store opened up that the crowd  knocked over a store employee and trampled him.

If I were the owner of a store and that happened, I would never ever have that store open on Thanksgiving again.

What are people thinking? I’ll tell you what – they’re not!

In the past Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) was traditionally the day when the best bargains were to be had. In the last few years, Cyber Monday has reigned.

There was a saying, “Let your fingers do the walking.” That was in ancient times when the yellow pages used to be the go-to book for businesses. Not anymore. Now, all your fingers do the walking on the computer keyboard/handheld devices. You can even use your voice on those devices to order what you wish. Boy, are we becoming lazier by the second!

So, I just sat back and watched all the madness on TV or YouTube of all the people scrambling around the stores. I don’t wish to point out all these shoppers with a broad paint brush, because for a lot of them it is, the rush, thrill and camaraderie of those waiting in lines for the stores to open. I wouldn’t be surprised if people met their future spouses while they were waiting in line.

Whichever method you chose to shop, I hope you came away with those bargains that were on your wish list. Most of all, I hope that earlier on Thanksgiving Day you took time to be with family or friends to give thanks for the blessings you received throughout the year.  C.M.