<p>If you like doing something you feel is socially responsible at this time of year additional/other options could be donating food to your local food bank (helpful most any time of year) or inviting someone over who otherwise might spend the holiday alone.</p>
<p>Way back in the olden days - circa 1974 - I was working part time in bakeries. We had to work Thanksgiving day morning for all those last minute pie pickups and then that Friday to sell all the day old. We also worked Christmas even until 3:00 p.m. It’s not a new problem.</p>
<p>That said, I admire anyone who can schlep their turkey, mashed potato, pie, jello, creamy bean dish with crumbled potato chip, buttered roll, marsh mellow yammed topped with booze/drink of choice belly off the couch and out of the house anytime before Saturday morning. </p>
<p>Lol dietz. </p>
<p>Personally, I don’t think “everybody survived” is a good enough standard for whether something is a good idea or not, and whether it is healthy for our national well-being. I think turning Thanksgiving into a major shopping day is a bad thing for our nation collectively–even though it may be a good thing for some individual people, and even for some businesses.</p>