Are we Turkeys for Working on Thanksgiving?

Today we aren't working. I plan to relax after I make the stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, get the turkey in the oven, and clean the house. Maybe I should have worked today.
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Thanksgiving is the day that we get to relax, eat and watch football. So the idea of people actually having to work on this day is wrong period, right?

I just saw a piece on MSNBC interviewing a former manager of a Pizza Hut that was fired because he didn't agree with the owner's view that his Pizza Hut should be open that day and, as I understand it was refusing to work. I am confused on this one. Aren't many restaurants open on Thanksgiving, and have been for many years?

If this is a day to relax and be with family, well someone has to cook the meal right? In a capitalist society there are those of us that choose to work on a holiday to make some extra money, and I think we should have the right to choose that option.

Maybe we have horrible memories of Thanksgiving dinners from our childhood and prefer to spend it in the mall or going to a movie. So my take on all of this outrage on working this holiday is that it is a bit hypocritical. If you work for a restaurant that is open so that other people can relax on this day, then you may have to work. Ideally, the business is able to give people the option if they want to work or not. As a business owner I realize that this isn't always possible. I think the real issue should be not so much whether people should have to work today, but if they have work. It seems that we don't hear stories about the huge unemployment rates as we used to. We get the "sound bite" stories. Isn't it time we are given something meaningful to "chew"on? Let's see the interviews with people that have been looking for work for years without any luck and what can be done to help them to find work.

The other " outrage" is about retail stores opening early today. One of things we don't mention in this story is that today is not only Thanksgiving but the first day of Hanukkah. A day that is never officially recognized as a day that should be spent with family unless you are in the orthodox community. Is anyone outraged about that? It certainly isn't being show on the news if they are.

We must remember that businesses only operate because it makes sense for the business. If there weren't consumers shopping and eating and watching movies today then no business would be open. If you are truly outraged about this, then don't patronize these businesses.

On this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my friends and family, but also for all the clients that have given my business work over the past year. Today we aren't working. I plan to relax after I make the stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, get the turkey in the oven, and clean the house. Maybe I should have worked today. Happy Thanksgiving!

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