Happy Thanksgiving week - volume II

Happy Tuesday, one and all.

What's cool about Thanksgiving week, prior to Thursday, is the feeling you get when visiting the local mall or shopping district--the environment isn't yet into that hectic, over-the-top Christmas frenzy. Yet, sadly, signs are on the horizon of what's to come:

- The exterior signage proclaiming "We'll be open 5-9 p.m. on Thanksgiving." Really!? Is it that important that some store is open so people can flee their family gathering in order to get out and start shopping for Christmas?

- Television, radio and print ads shout "opening at 4:00 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving." I always feel really, really sad for those who work retail at the post-Thanksgiving time of year. I did it once and it's always made me appreciate those who have to deal with the thundering hordes of shoppers over the next few weeks.

Speaking of which, where did the name "Black Friday" come from? Wikipedia does not provide any clear sense as to the origin of the term, suggesting that using the phrase in connection with this day after Thanksgiving may have originated in 1975, given two newspaper articles, originating in Philadelphia, which used the words. The term "Cyber Monday" (the Monday after Thanksgiving) started in 2005 by the National Retail Federation, recognizing the power of web shopping, particularly for those who did not or could not get out in the days following Thanksgiving.

I wish the holiday shopping vibe could stay like what I experienced yesterday with my wife--friendly sales associates with helpful ideas coupled with fellow shoppers who weighed in with opinions as we sought out food preparation items for Thanksgiving.