Let’s start the long weekend with a positive note of hope, stressing the importance of the day in America.
Though there had been native North American celebrations and feasts in the early 1600s, we most celebrate the Pilgrims meeting up with the Indians.
In 1623, a drought was ruining the crops at Plymouth Plantation. Colonists prayed and fasted. Captain Miles Standish arrived with word of an incoming Dutch supply ship. There was celebration and a day of Thanksgiving and prayer on June 30. This 1623 festival was likely the origin of our celebration, combining religion with a social affair.
On Oct. 3, 1789, President George Washington proclaimed that the people of the United States observe “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” on Thursday, the 26th of November.
Thanksgiving is a fitting time for Americans to think of our good fortunes with family and friends with a prayer.
Yet this time of year tends to annually provide us with disheartening news. This time, some retailers in New Jersey are disregarding the shopping frenzy known as Black Friday. They are opening their doors today, the traditional day to spend time with families, food and football.
Today, add the word “fear.”
Retailers in some locations have heard the troubling predictions for this season. The National Retail Federation predicts retail sales this November and December will be $437.6 billion, down from $442 billion last year.
U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $390 this season, down 7 percent from estimates of $418 last year.
So Wal-Mart, The Gap, Old Navy and others — not necessarily in central Indiana — will make an early move.
If you have to buy today — and you don’t — buy American on Thanksgiving Day.
The other fear: Cyber Monday, set for Nov. 30. That’s the day when e-tailers notice a surge in sales. Buying through the Internet, consumers don’t have to wake up at 5 a.m. and stand in cold lines waiting for doors to open. But frustration is just as strong as e-tailers change their special deals without notice and quantities are limited.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become artificial national days to provoke consumer fear, telling us that if we don’t get a special deal, we’ll never see it again. Saving $20 tomorrow on a camera is probably not as important as creating the memories this day of being with family and friends.
Use this day, maybe at halftime or before the meal is served, to thank those around you. Travel carefully to spend time with relatives. Drop by a neighbor’s house and thank them for being welcoming throughout the year. Turn off the Internet and keep your credit card out of reach. Have a happy day.
Editorials
Editorial: Happy Thanksgiving!
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Editorial: Memorial Day helps put face on wounded warriors
This is the perfect weekend to thank a veteran, an active duty service member or a wounded warrior for his or her service. Our positive, encouraging response goes a long way in defining our society.
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Editorial: Honor those who fought, and celebrate our freedom
This weekend, keep in mind the reason for Memorial Day — to remember those who have been so important in our lives, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice in military service.
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Editorial: Governor candidates offer conservatism, moderation
The jockeying for position has begun in what is basically a two-horse gubernatorial race. Each offers voters a legitimate option. The November outcome may offer a simple referendum on the mindset of voters: Are they most persuaded by Mike Pence’s conservatism or by John Gregg’s moderation?
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Editorial: Keep up the chorus against the landfill
Occupy Anderson has joined the ever-growing chorus against the proposed Mallard Lake landfill. Sam Mudd, a member of Occupy, is taking his studies on how the landfill might pollute Anderson’s water to areas of the county to drum up support against the landfill.
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Editorial: Find a buyer for former school or tear it down
If a buyer wants the former Pendleton Heights Middle School, fine, but put no more taxpayer money into it.
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Editorial: Libraries must adapt to serve communities
Certainly, the Friends of the Anderson Public Library needs space to store and sell used books, records, DVDs and other material. But library supporters and staff must be flexible in this ever-changing world to keep public facilities relevant.
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You Said It: About Walking Men, the Queen of Disco and settled lawsuits
Each Monday, The Herald Bulletin publishes “You Said It,” a compilation of reader comments from www.theheraldbulletin.com.
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Editorial: Ockomon-Spencer saga hurt city's reputation
Wednesday, May 16, was a sad day for Anderson taxpayers forced to pay a $128,000 bill that ends a saga that never should have started
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Editorial: It's Pendleton's time to shine this weekend
The residents of Pendleton can be a little prouder of themselves today. Two events capture the community spirit that makes the town one of the gems in our region.
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Editorial: Little 500 Festival, local events heating up Saturday
Like the Indianapolis 500, Anderson Speedway’s Little 500 should be on the bucket list for folks living in the Madison County area.
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