November has always been a time of the year I've enjoyed.

Autumn is officially here and the leaves have fallen off the trees. I can't say I enjoy raking them, but they're nice to look at.

The temperature has changed and it's colder outside, but I love wearing layers. There's nothing quite as comforting as being bundled in my pea coat and having a scarf tied around my neck.

And then there's Thanksgiving.

I always enjoyed this holiday while growing up. It's one of the few holidays where, as a people, we are supposed to be thankful for what we have instead of excited for getting what we want. Sadly, as the years go by, this seems to be changing.

I can remember pulling up to my grandmother's house to see the front door opened, the glass of the storm door covered in condensation. The condensation provided a mask and opening the door was even more of a surprise. As I stepped inside the house with my parents and little brother, a feeling of instant warmth would spread through my core.

The smell of turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and bacon dressing filled my nose. The dining room table wore a fall-themed cover in orange, red and yellow, like the leaves outside. The plates would be set at each seat.

My grandparents and other family members would come out of the kitchen to see who arrived. I'd receive affectionate hugs and kisses from each.

Then we'd start catching up. We'd share stories about our year. My younger cousins and I would tell a story or two about school. This never bothered me, since I enjoyed going to school.

My grandfather carved the turkey. I always thought this was something special, as he took the knife and gave everyone a serving.

I'd sit at the table, with my soda and plate full of food, and wait for everyone to arrive. My grandfather arrived last and, once he sat down, my grandmother would bring out a book of Thanksgiving prayers and one of the children would read it. I had a one out of four chance of being chosen, and I enjoyed reading from it, as it set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Then we ate and watched football together.

After football, the family sat at the table and played games together. This was another reason I enjoyed Thanksgiving. We played Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary and Monopoly. My grandmother was the game master and we usually played men against women. The room filled with laughter, tense moments and cheering. It was always a good time and my Thanksgiving memories mean a lot to me.

However, I've noticed Thanksgiving is changing. Black Friday is taking over and Thanksgiving is becoming Gray Thursday.

I work retail and, last year, I stayed up late the Wednesday before because I had to work overnight and needed to prepare my sleep cycle for my shift. I ended up waking up on Thanksgiving at about 2 p.m.

I awoke to an empty house – my parents and brother had already gone to my grandmother's. When I arrived at my grandmothers, not much later, everyone had already eaten their Thanksgiving lunches. I picked through the leftovers and made myself a plate and sat at a large empty table.

By this time, some family members began watching football. I got to spend time with some of my relatives and, as usual, we chatted about college.

I watched football with my family but after the first game I had to leave. I needed to get some sleep before heading into work for the midnight opening. I missed the board games and the dessert.

It's hard to be pleasant at work when you haven't had pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.

I slept for three more hours and arrived at The Lehigh Valley Mall at 11:30 p.m. to begin my shift. I'll never forget the lines of people standing outside all the stores throughout the mall. Some of these people had to have been at the mall much earlier to get the spots in line.

I took my first lunch break at 3 a.m. and sat outside the lifestyle center at the mall. Teenagers filled each table, hanging out, as if it was a regular Saturday night, and the shoppers were all over the place.

This year many retailers are opening up on Thanksgiving Day.

When I first heard this I was angry at the businesses but, after some thought and reflection, I can't blame them.

Consumers are the ones to blame.

These stores wouldn't open on Thanksgiving or early on Black Friday if they didn't make money and there wasn't a demand.

I think this shows that our priorities have changed.

On a day that people are supposed to be thankful for what they have, they are going out shopping to save money and get what they want. You can save $50 on this item or $20 on that item, but time is one thing that money can't buy. You can't buy more time with your loved ones. And for me, time spent with my family is worth more than any bargain.

It pains me to think children are missing out on seeing relatives on this holiday because of stores opening. I know that hospitals, police stations and public transport must be open holidays and I'm thankful for those who work in those fields. Their sacrifice keeps the rest of us safe. However, I don't think consumer products are any reason for people to have to leave their families.

I want the children to have the same experiences I had and it pains me that many won't just because people would rather save a few bucks.

Andrew Mark is a freelance writer for The Press. He lives in Whitehall.