Halloween is over and done with, and now we’re on to the next great holiday on the list: Thanksgiving, or so we thought.

Walking into Wal-Mart over the weekend I wasn’t even surprised to see the special aisles strictly dedicated to glittered Christmas ornaments, a plethora of wrapping paper, and tape. What did surprise me was to see how soon these ornaments popped up in the aisles. Where are the giant blow up turkeys and fall leaves and recipes for stuffing? The store was missing even door decorations saying “Happy Thanksgiving.” Trust me, I scoured the shelves.

Has society now slipped into giving the power to companies to dictate what we choose to celebrate based on what we can put in jars, on our house or wear around? Are we giving in to the idea that if you can’t grab it off a shelf and put into a cart then that holiday isn’t as important? Candy aisles dominate grocery stores around Halloween, Christmas decorations, themed dish cloths are strewn about, and even clothing at certain stores are more centered around traditional color schemes of reds and greens.

Whatever happened to the good old days where we were allowed to show up for lunch in sweatpants, eat our weight in food, pass out in a turkey coma and wake up in time to watch football? Is it now just expected that we just move on to Christmas, instead of celebrating a day to be thankful for what is around us.

From a revenue standpoint I can understand why the companies would push Christmas; it is the time of the year where billions of dollars are made in a span of a couple weeks. Black Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving, has turned into more of a pre-Christmas boost. Who knows, it might become a corporate holiday.

We all hear about the materialism that surrounds holidays, weeks before Black Friday, on the radio, on the news shows in the morning, and from funny YouTube videos with people acting very much in an animalistic way. It is almost similar to how a lion will fight another animal for a chance at the water hole. Apparently we need those shoes to survive, and we will go down trying. Tips are shared on how to maximize your experience in the stores, and walk away satisfied.

I know of some family friends who set up a “battle plan” to be sure that they get everything they have meticulously researched. They have a family of 9 and every member contributes to the effort, whether that means running to get that item or just standing with one of three carts to run to the checkout. Everyone is are given a task and a time limit.

Pre-Christmas sales in 2010 were $584.3 billion. Last year it was reported by the National Retail Federation that on Black Friday the average consumer spent $365.34 with 212 million shoppers visiting both a physical and an online store. Just start crunching those large numbers, they not only boggle our minds, but make any CEO proud. Yet the holidays should be more about what the day represents, not what we can make from it.

Thanksgiving is about being grateful to what is around us, and not taking anything for granted. It is filled with family, food and football. Holidays should be more than what you can find in the clearance aisle or what we can put into our closets for later. Christmas is big for Christians around the world, it is said to be the day that the Son of God was born. We open presents on that day, and stay in our pajamas and decorate cookies, or even go sledding if snow allows.

Sure the lights are pretty, and Santa usually does eat those cookies and milk. Just don’t forget to spend that day in November jumping in leaves, and cheering on your favorite team and watch the Macy’s Day Parade. Show up in stretchy pants, cover every conceivable countertop with a platter, a gravy dish and a pie pan. The day after go shop until you literally drop by choice, or rush that crazy person to an Xbox. Then and only then go to the basement, dust off that box of Christmas lights, string them up and listen to the Christmas classics. Have fun; just remember to take the time to buy what you want, but also be sure to remember that each holiday is important. It deserves more than just one aisle.