Originally published on November 28, 2016
There are some traditions you just go along with, and others
you stop and think about and suddenly don’t quite make sense. This latest one
of mine is seasonally appropriate, Black Friday.
This year is the first time in several years I haven’t been
Black Friday shopping. I used to look forward to it, staying up really late and
being out in stores I’ve never been in in the dark. Black Friday in the past was
usually a midnight trip to Wal-Mart with my grandparents, then the mall and
other places the next morning to scrape the bottom of the Black Friday barrel.
We usually scored a couple things; we went in there knowing we wouldn’t get the
best deals and mostly did it to spend time together. There was one year my mom
and I went to Old Navy and stood in the checkout line for an hour to buy nice
coats. I liked spending the time with her, but after a bit I realized I preferred
shopping during the day, when I was fully awake and in the mood, not half
asleep and still feeling full from dinner.
On Thanksgiving this year on the way to visit my great
grandma, we went down a main street full of restaurants and stores. My dad
started pointing out all the restaurants that were closed. I thought that was
pretty neat, seeing a usually busy street so empty. Then we went past Best Buy
and at 3:30 on a rainy afternoon there was a decent line lined up outside the
store, all huddled and under umbrellas. I was betting the store wouldn’t be
open for several hours.
Now, I don’t know their stories. Maybe they already ate
their Thanksgiving feast, and they were there with family. This could be a
tradition, or perhaps it was a challenge trying to get something for as little
as possible. Maybe they don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving. I don’t know, and at
this point, writing 24 hours later, I don’t care. I guess seeing that just
really made me think: I couldn’t see myself doing that. Waiting out in the rain
for…whatever. I can understand some things could be worth waiting for, like
meet-n-greets or tickets for something. But some piece of technology? Not worth
it. Not even close.
I’m not trying to get all up in arms about the
commercialization of Christmas. I just sometimes get confused about how much a
holiday supposedly about family and friendship and overall joy can turn people
into crazy, selfish animals of sorts who are hunting for the best deals and
will literally kill to get what they want. Yay, it’s Black Friday, the first
day of Christmas shopping (though you can totally start earlier), because your
kids won’t love you if you don’t get them that toy and who cares if the store
employees haven’t slept for 24 hours!
Okay, maybe I am. But one person isn’t going to change
whatever problem has swept over our country. All I know is that this year I’m
looking at the whole thing with a touch of cynicism. I have no problem with
Christmas, or giving gifts, or having a holiday that’s supposed to be spent
with family. It’s the way we as a country deal with said holiday, and a lot of
it boils down to Black Friday, chopping off part of one holiday to be
uber-prepared for another. And I’m guessing I’m not alone here.
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