The day begins as a family sits around the television in the early morning and watches the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It proceeds to the mother and father cooking dinner in the kitchen so that later in the day the entire family can sit down together and eat.

Thanksgiving is a classic American tradition. It is a time for togetherness and being thankful for the things we have. Until now.

Now families gather at the doors of the nearest Wal-Mart, Macy’s, or JC Penny’s eagerly awaiting the doors to open. This family holiday has been turned into an introduction to the Christmas shopping season. With every store having deals on nearly every item, and Christmas on the way, families abandon their homes as early as the day before Thanksgiving to save a few bucks.

What I’m wondering is when did our holiday spirit go from happy to greedy? How is it justified to leave your home on a family holiday to go spend money on things you don’t really need right then?

Last year, the nation’s Black Friday sales reached $45 billion. This year, they soared to $52 billion. On average, shoppers spent $400 a piece as opposed to last year they each spent an average of $365.

As the amount of money people spend increases, so does the intensity of this shopping event.

From the moment the doors open, it’s World War III. People pushing and shoving each other out of the way to be the first to get that half-price Xbox or those new 75% off shoes. Shoppers are taking part in a  battle to be one of the first in line.

It’s one thing to want to save on your holiday shopping, and it can get expensive, but these deals aren’t always even the best deals these stores have in the year. And is it really worth becoming a savage over.

 This year,one woman was attempting to purchase a video game on thursday night when she was shoved, trampled, and trapped under a crowd of eager shoppers.

Another woman in a Los Angeles Wal-Mart pepper sprayed someone in line to get closer to the register. And the cashier still tended to her. When did this become okay? Where do we draw the line?

In this day and age, we have made it seem perfectly acceptable to abuse other people just because of a good sale. The part of the Black Friday crowd that tackles and pepper sprays their way to the front of the line goes to any lengths they see fit for this new tradition. This has to change.

Only a few years ago, Black Friday sales began at 4:00 a.m. We should go back to this time. When the warmth and happiness of a family Thanksgiving feast was not overshadowed by the greed of the holiday shopping rush. When we can all sit around the television and watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” And when the shopping didn’t need to start until after we’ve all slept off the turkey.