Great Savings Begin Thanksgiving Weekend
The Christmas shopping season has already started, but deals on jewelry, gold, luxury handbags, and designer watches may not start until Thanksgiving weekend.
Thanksgiving Holiday
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn feast harvest, marking the results of their efforts during the previous summer months. Plymouth colonists were members of Plymouth Rock became the first English community in modern-day New-England. The pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the May Flower in 1620.
Agriculture, fishing, and trading helped the small community survive, and even though it did not become a robust community like some other colonies, the colonists prevailed.
The colonists arrived in Plymouth Rock and spent most of the first winter onboard the Mayflower to protect them from the harsh winter. The Mayflower sailed back to England in April 1621 and once the group moved ashore, the colonists faced even more challenges.
Without the help of the native people, none of the colonists would have survived.
An English-speaking Abenaki named Samoset helped the colonists form an alliance with the local Wampanoags,. The native people taught the colonists how to hunt local animals, gather shellfish and grow corn, beans and squash.
Most of the survivors were men because few women survived the harsh winter. Only 53 passengers and half the crew survived. Nineteen women boarded the Mayflower, and 5 survived.
At the end of the next summer, the Plymouth colonists celebrated their first successful harvest. The celebration took place over a three-day festival of Thanksgiving. The celebration didn’t occur on the fourth Thursday in November like it does today. It was sometime between late September and mid November 1621.
The native Wampanoags outnumbered the colonists two to one at the Thanksgiving meal.
The Thanksgiving dinner consisted of a freshly killed deer, assorted wildfowl, and cod and bass. There was various native corn, eaten as corn bread and porridge.
When Was Thanksgiving Officially a Holiday
Religious Thanksgiving services were held informally throughout the years and there wasn’t a presidential proclamation marking Thanksgiving as an official holiday in the United States until the Civil War of the 1860s. In the midst of the Civil War in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the national holiday. The holiday was to be held on the last Thursday of November. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed as an annual tradition in the United States.
In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the official holiday to the second to last Thursday in November purely for economic reasons. The United States was in the middle of the Great Depression and retailers were suffering. Roosevelt hoped the shift in timing would give shoppers more time to hit the stores before Christmas. Consumers were not pleased and called the day “Franksgiving.” In 1941, he changed the date back to the last Thursday in November.
Thanksgiving Traditions
Each community, family, and place in society establishes their own unique traditions. Traditions like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or watching a holiday parade, eating roast turkey for dinner or sharing a traditional feast which includes cranberry sauce, and sharing what you are thankful for are all part of the celebrations.
There are now many variations since the original Thanksgiving meal. Thanksgiving traditions like volunteering for those less fortunate, turkey trot games, and parades are some ways the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.
Another Thanksgiving weekend adventure is shopping Black Friday.
Black Friday Sales on Thanksgiving weekend
Black Friday is a shopping day for a combination of reasons. Clear back to when President Roosevelt tried to change Thanksgiving Day to the Thursday prior, retailers and many stores have used Thanksgiving weekend as the first official Christmas shopping day and last major holiday before Christmas.
The Friday after Thanksgiving has unofficially marked the beginning of the shopping season. Many employers give their employees the day off as part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend which helps with the number of people choosing the day as a shopping day.
Public transit systems do not usually run on their regular timetables, and offices are closed.
Today Black Friday is equivalent to shopping mania.
The History Behind Black Friday
The term “Black Friday” was first used during the crash of the U.S. gold market on September 14, 1869. The stock market was sent into a tail spin, and many stores, small businesses, and many retailers went bankrupt.
In the 1950s, police used the term Black Friday to describe the utter chaos that happened after Thanksgiving. Cities were flooded with suburban shoppers and tourists. Police had to work extra long shifts to control shoplifters who made off with merchandise because of the bedlam in stores.
By 1961, Black Friday had not only caught on in Philadelphia, but also tried to rename the day Big Friday. The term never stuck.
In the 80s, Black Friday was reinvented from the negative characteristic of police trying to control crime due to the heavy shopping day, and turned the term into something positive.
American stores, many retailers, and small businesses finally began to make a profit.
People often forget about the roots of Black Friday deals starting in Philadelphia, and today the one-day sales bonanza has grown into a four-day event, and early deals, online deals, and more. Black Friday is only one part of the Thanksgiving weekend activities.
To provide a convenient shopping experience to attract more shoppers, businesses will have extended hours, may have deals and discounts, and treat their customers with tender care, such as offering to wrap presents.
Cyber Monday
If shopping the Black Friday sales wasn’t enough, Cyper Monday gained the shopping frenzy in 2005. Coined by the National Retail Federation (NRF), Cyber Monday is one of the largest online shopping days of the year. By 2008, consumers found online shopping easy, and retail shops found it bridged the gap between expenses and paying them.
Online shops eagerly list big ticket items and smaller items with great discounts. Because online shops are easily accessible for computers, tablets, and smartphones, nearly half of holiday browsing and purchasing takes place online.
Small Business Saturday
On November 27, 2010, American Express started a campaign “Small Business Saturday.” The focus was to help small businesses gain exposure and prompt consumers to shop within their local market. This would help small businesses in their own communities.
Many holiday sales are launched on the Thanksgiving weekend. Smaller stores, pawn shops, and local specialty shops will run sales on Small Business Saturday, so people can wield their purchasing power and get the best prices.
Lambert Pawn
Lambert Pawn is located in Whittier, CA. They are a trusted pawn shop and have amazing deals. Conveniently open 6 days a week, the shop is a full service, California licensed pawn shop.
With over 25 years of experience as pawnbrokers, they have dedicated their shop to helping consumers get the most money when they need fast money. They will loan on almost anything of value.
They loan, buy, sell, and trade valuable items like gold jewelry, platinum and silver, diamonds and precious stones, luxury handbags, name-brand electronics, musical instruments and tools.
Creating a more convenient shopping experience, they will give you a quick quote if you send a picture and description of what you would like to bring in for sale or pawn. This way, you don’t even have to leave your home.