Tis The Season To Be Shopping

Fa la la la la. La la. La. La!

What do you think about Black Friday? That's the topic for this week's ToT post. Hmm, what do I think about Black Friday.....

Did I go shopping on Black Friday? Yes. Did I go shopping on Thanksgiving Day? NO. I have no problem with folks trying to get a good deal on something that they want or need. If that means that they want to get up at the crack of dawn, so be it. But the new thing about stores opening on Thanksgiving took it a little far. Well that was my first thought. Then I began to think about all the others working on Thanksgiving. Movie theaters have always been open, at least it seems that way. And that is one of our family traditions, to go to a movie Thanksgiving night. I've never had a problem with that. And people go out to eat on Thanksgiving. I've been out to eat on Thanksgiving. I didn't have a problem with that either. Grocery stores are open on Thanksgiving, at least for a few hours. I've been to the grocery store on Thanksgiving. Nope, no issue there either. So, why did I have such an issue with Wal Mart, Target, Khol's, and Toys R Us opening their doors on Thanksgiving day?

I suppose my problem with stores being open on Thanksgiving is because I feel like people are just going to snag the hot item that's on sale. It's not about running to the grocery store because you forgot to buy pumpkin pie spice. Or hanging out with your kid and relaxing and seeing a movie together after your feast. Maybe I'm justifying what I feel is appropriate to do on Thanksgiving. And I guess if you would rather go shopping after your feast, by all means, who am I to stop you. Go for it. For me, I would rather not.

My Black Friday tradition involves spending time with my sister in law and nieces. We look at the sale papers on Thursday and make our plan for the next day. I usually get picked around 4am and we hit a few stores. We don't go crazy. We don't just spend a ton on money to get a "deal." For me, its more about spending time with them rather than all the consumerism. This year, I got some boots for myself, 2 sets of sheets and a Christmas gift for each of my girls. Stuff I was going to get anyway, we just did it at 4am the Friday after Thanksgiving.

In addition to Black Friday shopping, I also participated in Small Business Saturday. I was looking forward to doing more Small Business Saturday shopping, but Nolan was sick so we just hit one store. A friend of mine opened a store close by our house called Homespun. It's got all sorts of handmade goodies in it. I love it. So, I went there and then called it a day. I do plan on doing more of my holiday shopping at more stores like this!

And apparently Cyber Monday was a huge hit this year. I did get our Christmas cards with a Cyber Monday deal. Hey, you can't beat 40% off something you were going to get anyway.

So, while I don't like all of consumerism that goes on this time of year, I don't mind folks getting out and finding a good deal. I do mind people getting into major credit card debit in order to get all the stuff that they think they need.

And so, before I say goodnight, I leave you with this little quote from the loveable old Grinch.....

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
Dr. Seuss
Remember that Christmas is about something more! And to all a good night!

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