Thanksgiving shopping

I had a friend ask about shopping on Thanksgiving Day - Is it a good thing or bad?

We live in a materialistic world.  In fact our whole economic system has been set up to depend on it!  We are being told to spend, spend, spend - it will "increase" the economy.  But this is a lie!  Spending does not "increase" the economy - it increases our debt and our dependence on "things". 

Why are stores opening on Thanksgiving?  Because if they wait until Friday - then people have to pick and choose which stores/sales to attend.  If some stores open early, then the theory is you don't have to choose.  You can shop them ALL!   You can HAVE it all!  (And they will even finance it for you - isn't that convenient?!)

We are never satiated.  We are all  Madame Blueberry!  No matter how much "stuff" we have, we always want MORE.    Money isn't an issue; we just "finance" it.  Space isn't an issue; we just rent another storage unit.  We buy it not because we need it, but because "it was such a great price!"  When will it stop?!

 As much as I hate to admit it, I too am caught up in this materialistic world.  I think about the little house we rented (900 sq ft) for six of us and how we couldn't fit all of our "junk" into it.  I learned after we moved, that the family who built the house had 10 children.  Yes, 10!  Twice as many people fit into that house and I would even bet that they fit "comfortably" into it. 

When did all of this change? And why do we do this?  Why are we so focused on "things"?  I believe we buy things to fill an emptiness inside of us.  We are searching for happiness, acceptance, and love.  Satan has tricked us into believing that the more we have, the better our lives will be.  But it is just the opposite.  The more "things" we have, the less time we have to spend with the people in our lives who really DO matter.  The more our focus increases on the temporal things, the less time we spend attaining the eternal.  And that is exactly what Satan wants.  He knows that true happiness, acceptance and love come from God. 

So is shopping on Thanksgiving good or bad?  I will let you decide.  But as for me and my house...we will leave the "stuff"ing for the turkey.