What Black Friday and the holidays actually mean to a retail worker

I've never understood why people have their Thanksgiving dinner at like 1:00pm just so they can go Black Friday shop at 6:00pm. I feel like the whole meaning behind Thanksgiving has been forgotten. People post on Facebook about how thankful they are, yet they are the same ones fighting to get a item during the Black Friday sales. I work at the outlets, and unfortunetly I was not able to go home for Thanksgiving. I haven't been able to spend Thanksgiving with my family in over three years. Every year I'm at the outlets at 5:00pm prepping for the store to open at 6:00pm; this year was no different.  Everyone is so excited because the holidays are here, and I don't really share hat excitement anymore. For me, the holidays just mean working 40 plus hours a week and extended hours. Although I will be done with school in a few weeks, I will not be able to go home because no employee is allowed to request off during the month of December. I am blessed to have a amazing job, but it sucks being limited on the days I can see my family.