Thanksgiving Weekend!

I talked to my mom recently how it seemed this year in particular "Thanksgiving" was kind of being overlooked. The stores are always anxious for Christmastime shoppers frequenting their establishments which means year after year the acknowledgement of Thanksgiving becomes more and more brief. This year though it seemed extremely brief. Our local Target featured Halloween and Thanksgiving décor during the month of October. Nothing Thanksgiving was able to be obtained post Halloween, they moved right into Christmas. Note to self, next year I will buy my "November-ish" candy dish in October and not wait. The last 2 years we have kept our "Halloween themed" candy dish out for November too. 

Boy, things have changed. While on our way home from granny's house yesterday from the family Thanksgiving we eagerly looked at shopping center parking lots filled with cars as "Black Friday" arrived early, the norm now. We both commented how different it is nowadays than when we were kids. As a youngster I remember it being complained about by adults that retailers were too anxious to get Thanksgiving done and move into Christmastime. Well that complaint is of completely new validity nowadays! As a young one I remember watching the numerous Mervyn's commercials during the Thanksgiving Day parade that featured the annoying lady standing in the cold looking through the store window repeating the word, "OPEN". Oh man, that commercial was annoying and overplayed. But at least back then the stores didn't open until midnight, the very start of Friday. I also remember when a person was hard pressed to find a restaurant open on turkey day. Plenty of full service restaurants were open including Buca di Beppo, anyone for some Italian flare on turkey day? Only ones we saw dark were mostly fast food including pizza places, yet those closures were even spotty, some open and some not. 

I guess I'm old school, I like a quiet day with family gathered, a traditional turkey dinner, and of course FOOTBALL. Gotta have football! To me turkey day and football go together like peanut butter and jelly! And yes, even the furries in our household got a "turkey dinner". Turkey flavored bones for the pugs and a turkey munch stick for our little Pipey. For as long as I have had the boys they have received a special turkey "bone" on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes, indeed they are spoiled, but it's the good kind of spoiled. ;)

As a youngster Zonie in the family I was in "Black Friday" was slightly different than most peoples.  Hmm, what happens on Black Friday every year in the land of Zonies? The duel in the desert! Better known as the Territorial Cup, Arizona State University vs. University of Arizona. I hope the mountain down in Tucson this year got painted GOLD! Isn't that a great tradition? Trying to paint the mountain each year? Well paint or protect! I'm sure there were some diehard wildcats doing their best to protect their mountain from being painted by diehard sun devils. As a kid and an adult, Black Friday meant going to the last ASU football game of the year which has always been a face-off with rival University of Arizona. Always a bitter and exciting rivalry. Afterwards we all went to Mexican food. I suppose after all that turkey from the day before Zonies need to balance things out by getting back to the number one most preferred style of food in AZ. LOL! Go Sun Devils! Both teams haven't had a good season so it should be a different style of a battle. Winning this game today means you end the season with a huge and satisfying smile on your face. Once again let me say....GO SUN DEVILS! Even here in TX I'll have my gear on even my Sparky earrings! Gotta have the earrings it completes the look. ;)