I hope everyone had a peaceful Christmas. Any Christmas without a blizzard in North Dakota is a great one. There was no blizzard, so I had a great Christmas. A loss by the Green Bay Packers would have made the day even better. Unfortunately they won. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/gametracker/recap/NFL_20111225_CHI@GB
Stores start closing early on Christmas Eve, and are closed all day on Christmas. The holiday this year was celebrated on a saturday and a sunday, and that got me to thinking back to when I was kid. Back then all stores in North Dakota had those type hours on the weekend. The state had a law called a Blue Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_law, which stated that all stores be closed on sunday.
The grocery store would close at 2 o'clock on saturday, and be closed all day sunday. I remember my mother worrying about not making it in time to buy groceries for something she was making on sunday.
Back in 1991 the blue law was modified so that stores could open at noon on sunday's. I like that stores can be open on sundays. It gives a person an extra day to get things they need. Some people would rather have the stores closed all day, so that they can spend more time with their families. The family dynamic has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Most families are busy with activities all week and maybe going shopping with their children is their quality time. Stores should be closed on sunday, everybody needs a day off from work, to rest. Not every person works monday thru friday, maybe they get days off during the week and work on the weekends. Stores should be closed, you got to go to church on sunday. Most churches have services all week, you don't always have to go to church on sunday. Here is another forum which talks about the Blue Law. http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-dakota/566342-do-you-miss-blue-laws.html
The only time I agree that stores should be closed all day is on Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are the only two days of the year where a person should spend time with family and friends and not have to work. I am appalled of what Thanksgiving is turning into. The unofficial first day of the holiday shopping season. Can't people wait one day. The next day will start early enough, like midnight.
Every person should have choices. You will make time for rest and time with your family. It should be up to you on what day and time that is. It doesn't have to be on a sunday, but you should make time for those things. You don't have to fill every second of everyday doing something, REST.
On saturday I was talking to one of my friend's when we had to stop our conversation short. He was running out of beer and needed to get some before the stores closed for the holiday. I bought mine on friday, so I was good.
