A Cry for Help

Happy Thanksgiving, all. May your turkey be juicy and tomorrow's shopping be savings-ful. Yeah, they really go together, don't they? On a day in which millions brave perennially awful transportation gridlock to be with family, count how often the TV in the other room pitches "quality erectile experiences" to you and yours. After saying grace and having the little ones recite what they are thankful for (Game Boy?) before heading off to the kids table, watch how long it takes for discussions to move to what great deals can be had tomorrow morning. Don't eat too much, though, as you might sleep through your wake up call from Ice-T or Heidi Klum.

And since the holiday season is upon us, many Americans will go to church for the first time in a while. I'd suggest following Reverend Billy this year and worshiping at the Church of Stop Shopping. If you're in New York, you can even stop by Times Square tomorrow for cash register exorcisms and see the Church "post 9 Theses Against Corporate Rule on the threshold of the Times Square McDonalds, a neon cathedral of perpetual consumption."

But what are you supposed to do if you're not going to shop til you drop on Buy Nothing Day? Why don't you dig up an old winter coat that no one is using anymore and bring it to the State House lawn (in the long consumerist shadow of the Providence Place Mall) for someone who could really use it.

I hope everyone has a great holiday. Seriously. I know saying we shouldn't reflexively throw open our wallets on a particular day of the year sounds like me being a scold and a downer, but really I just want everyone to remember there's a lot of great moments to be had today and all next month that don't cost a thing. Now, can someone pass the cranberry sauce?

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 25th, 2004 at 12:17 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.