Black Friday

If you saw the title of this post and thought I was going to relate our own stories of shopping the day after Thanksgiving, well, sorry to disappoint. I made several vows years ago when it comes to the holidays, and they are pretty effective in helping me to retain much more a sense of sanity than many I observe around me. One, I do not travel during the holidays. I just don't do it. Look: I deal with literally thousands of assholes on a daily basis in my commute to and from work; why the hell would I wish to subject myself to that sort of bullshit during any particular holiday driving time frame, when the asshole (and not to mention utter amateur) factor is upped by, say, a factor of ten? Second, we do not go anywhere near a mall or shopping center of any sort the day after Thanksgiving. I regard those who do - and please don't take offense if you are a friend reading this who engages in this activity (but I would seriously urge you to examine your own actions and habits if you are!) - as lemmings with no will of their own, weak and only contributing to the impending downfall of civilization as we know it. Need some proof? Ok. Below is a link to the first Black Friday stupidity story I saw this morning. Go ahead.....read it and absorb the complete and utter sense of tragedy brought on by mob stupidity. I will wait.......

Wal-Mart Worker Dies After Shoppers Knock Him Down

Completely senseless, right? And yet I would wager money that each and every one of you can tell a similar story of rabid shoppers eager to get a deal. And all in the face of being knee-deep in a recession. Is a deal on a plasma TV really all that important when you are having trouble paying your mortgage and/or utility bills? Really. Come on.

Our holiday game plan: We buy nothing for our adult friends, focusing instead on any and all kids involved. We focus on each other: Amy, Sloan, Devlin, and myself...and that said I don't think Amy and I are really all that concerned with ourselves, more Sloan and Devlin. We meet with my family in January to enjoy a combined Christmas and my birthday celebration and exchange presents then (meaning we really don't need to shop until well after the idiots of the pre-Christmas shopping time frame have been greatly reduced in numbers). Also, we mainly buy on-line, meaning we don't have to go anywhere and everything is delivered either to us or to the intended recipient. We all have our own Amazon wish lists which also make everything easier. Additionally, we spent the previous few months bringing all of our credit card balances down to zero, meaning we have them to use if need be. Creating debt might not be a wonderful idea, but at least it is manageable for us at the moment. Having something akin to a budget helps too.

I love Christmas for the sense of family it inspires, the tree, the decorations, the weather, how many people's moods change for the better. What I hate is the need to become a rabid consumer the season (or at least our society and its arguably fucked-up priorities and expectations) seems to hope to inspire in all of us. Having spent more than my fair share of time wading through the retail sales trenches, the holiday season does little more than inspire dread and disgust when I see how many people act in that environment.

My advice? If you really must go out and about to do your shopping, try to put yourself into the shoes of the retail associates and managers you encounter. Be kind, be polite - to them and your fellow shoppers - and try to not just enjoy the season as a whole but to inspire it in others. As jaded as I am about it, there is no real reason why it can't be somewhat pleasant. Just remember that anything you put out there in the way of attitude and actions will come back to you - either positive or negative, your choice - three-fold. Or more.

Be safe out there.....I'll be thinking about ya while shopping form the comfort of my couch, with a hot chocolate in front of me.....