To Hell With Black Friday

Don’t go Black Friday shopping. Ever.  Its evil, and not worth it. You have better things to do with your time and money. I promise you that you will not regret skipping it.
Some of you may remember that Black Friday used to start Friday morning, around normal business hours. Then it got pushed up to midnight madness Thursday night. It is around this time, that I first remember hearing the stories of the insane, camping out in front stores just to be the first in line for such and such deal. Then the “Friday” sale started creeping into late Thursday night. More camping out. Thanksgiving dinners were getting cut short. And now I’m seeing ads on TV for sales that start at 6PM Thanksgiving night. I realize that there will always be hyper competitive people and those who get thrills from saving a buck who will always be suckered into this crap, but I’m writing to tell the others to do away from this madness.
There is no amount of money that you can save that will be worth shitting all over your family gathering. There is no amount of money worth this precious time. And to be honest, if you’re cutting out on a holiday just to save a few hundred bucks on crap that your kids won’t play with anymore after a few months, you’re missing the point of both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Stop playing into the consumerism. Stop putting yourself into thousands of dollars of debt. Once upon a time, a good Christmas used to be a bag of walnuts and a couple of apples. Because Christmas wasn’t about burying your tree in wrapped presents, it was about celebrating the birth of our Savior. And Thanksgiving is a day of remembrance, family, gratitude, and faith.  It is a day of praise to our God, not a sacrifice to Mammon.
Go enjoy your meal. Laugh with your family. Eat too much, and take tryptophan induced naps while watching your team lose. If you have bitterness between family members, put it aside. Forgive, love, and remember. You never know when the Lord will call them or you up. Be thankful for the time you have together.