Black Friday

Here in the United States we observe the fourth Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving. Many countries around the world have days they set aside to give thanks for the harvest and so forth. Their observances come at other times in keeping with their own seasons.

Something that is uniquely American is this thing called, "Black Friday." When I first heard the term, I thought it was referring to some sort of stock market crash. However, it seems American culture has embraced the term as a designation for the day after Thanksgiving. It marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Now, why everyone would want to converge on the stores and shopping malls on this one day is a complete mystery to me. I hate crowds. I hate the madness. But, some people seem to thrive on it.

Since so many families reunite to celebrate Thanksgiving, I suppose it gives them a chance to go shopping together in a way they don't get any other time of year. Of course, I only shop out of necessity. So that sort of family togetherness holds no appeal for me. I would rather sit around and play cards and chat about life and the world.

I would think that after expending so much effort into preparing the Thanksgiving feast, people would want to take a break from all that work and just rest. Instead, stores compete against each other to see who can open their doors earliest to give way to the onslaught of Christmas shoppers. Perhaps they would rather keep their usual hours, but they're afraid of losing to the competition.

This year, even my elderly father was getting into the act. He had his eye on a 32 inch TV set which he hoped would be easier to read than the 27 inch set he has now. The store he was planning to visit opened up at midnight. I plan to call him later to see how he made out.

Because of the crowds, chaos and madness, "Black Friday" may indeed be a suitable designation. You won't catch me near a mall on this day if I can avoid it. I'll do my shopping on the internet.

That's Wade's two cents.

Wade Houston
November 23, 2007


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