Since 1952, the day after Thanksgiving has been regarded as the start of the Christmas shopping season in the United States. The practice could be related to the concept of Santa Claus parades.
Because Christmas is always the next major Christian holiday after Thanksgiving, parades celebrating Thanksgiving frequently include an appearance by Santa at the end of the parade, with the idea that “Santa has arrived” or Santa is just around the corner.
Department stores sponsored many Santa or Thanksgiving parades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These include the ongoing Toronto Santa Claus Parade, which has been held in Canada since 1905 and was originally sponsored by Eaton’s, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has been held in Manhattan, New York City since 1924 and is sponsored by Macy’s.
The parades would be used by department stores to launch a major advertising campaign. It eventually became an unwritten rule that no store would attempt to do Christmas advertising before the parade.
As a result, the day after Thanksgiving became the official start of the shopping season.
Why it is called Black Friday?
Why is it called Black Friday? The day was named after the fact that it is frequently the day when stores “move into the black,” which means they have enough money to cover their costs while lowering prices.