By Nicole Stacy
The first time I heard some blogger quip about “Black Thursday,” I recoiled like a vampire from a cross. You think that’s cute now, I thought, just wait until it starts to stick.
About this time last year, I was struck with sadness by the juxtaposition between these two headlines on MSN Money’s Smart Spending blog:

I never really went for Black Friday, but I figured if people wanted to take their lives in their hands for cheap waffle irons, and it gave them a rush, it wasn’t my problem. I feel strongly that the creep into Thanksgiving is different.
Thanksgiving may be just a day, but unfortunately it’s one of the only major, anti-materialistic holidays we have left.Even the celebration of Christmas has metamorphosed into something that I think it’s fair to say neither Jesus nor the real Saint Nicholas would entirely recognize. More than many other holidays, Thanksgiving has held out as a national expression of gratitude for the important things in life; the turkey is just a perk.
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