The Changing Nature of Holidays

I haven't been posting lately because I've been so busy preparing for the holidays.  The college where I work essentially shuts down for the last two weeks of the year, which means all of the year end reports end up getting crammed into early December.  It seems that more and more businesses are closing for extended periods of time around the year end holidays.  And the holiday music is in the elevators earlier and earlier.  And retailers are becoming more and more dependent on holiday sales.  Which brings up an interesting question. 

When did "black Friday" sneak into consumer language?  Retailers have long referred to the day after Thanksgiving as "black Friday" among themselves because it is the day when the ink can turn from red to black.  But lately - in the last few years - "black Friday" has become part of the popular lexicon.  I checked newspaper and television ads around the end of November and many if not most of the ads used the term in communications aimed directly at consumers.  So, it seems the holidays have really turned the corner ... from a religious and family celebration to a massively retail event. 

I also remember in my early advertising career that it was an unspoken rule that Santa Claus was not a pitchman.  He could be seen enjoying a Coke.  Or he could be seen flying off in his sleigh.  But, overt selling was not something Santa did.  Those days are gone.  Santa is a shill and that's a shame.  I don't mind the retail aspects of the holidays at all, but retail shouldn't be the entire message.  There's something to be said for leaving at least a little of the magic in the holidays.