I don’t “do” Black Friday

On By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it., Love and Light, Wee Wee Wee all the way home!

It scares the wee out of me.  Aggressive trampling crowd, elbows flying, sprints to endcaps, a tug of war over the last one, where you end up beaten bloody on the floor -crying Mama – while you rock back and forth sucking your thumb.

Um, no thanks!  Okay, I’m sure that’s not what really happens, but I have no desire to find out otherwise. I’ll just lounge in my PJs, thankyouverymuch.

Yesterday was my first Thanksgiving with Jason’s family. His mother graciously welcomed me, my mother, and my daughter Sydney to the grand feast.  The table was decorated with ceramic pumpkins, fancily folded napkins in rings, and beautiful china. The food was a foodie lover’s dream, so friggin’ delicious. She went above and beyond. That is one mother who LOVES with all her heart, and it spills over into all the hard work she puts into this Thanksgiving dinner for her family.

Even more beautiful was the children racing around, giggling, screeching, and constantly filling their bellies. I have decided my delight in  children comes from a long line of family genes. Goes back as far as we know to teachers in the previous generations. Except it ended with me, because I loved travel more, but I digress.

I got a kick out of watching my mother, mingle, laugh, and enjoy the meelee. Most of the children in our family are grown, so this was a sight to see and reminisce.  It was eerie how well she fit in. But I’m not surprised. Good people with the same values, and upbringings as ours, which is why I love them so much.

Black Friday kicks off the start of the countdown to Christmas.  Black Friday is a shoppers dream. Black Friday reminds me of the time my car was broken into. I was running on the trails in Fort Worth.  It was somewhere around six or seven miles.  I get back to find a policeman next to my car which has a shattered drivers side window.

That wasn’t even the worst of it. My purse was in the car. Yes, I know –  how dumb. I went to the back hatch opened it, popped the hidey hole, and voila there was my purse. Then I checked the middle console where my keys were (to the car, house, etc). Yep! Still there. Oh the cop was none to happy about that, but seriously – jogging with a big wad of keys? – or jogging with a very small remote to the car? Yeah, I chose remote – shamefully.

I was very lucky. I never parked there again, and at the time – I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to jog again. Husband 2 was a tyrant. He went ballistic over this infraction. Of course, it was my fault, and I was never to jog again, EVER. Insurance does not pay for that, so we had to fork over a few hundred dollars. Some Black Friday, huh? See why I don’t like them.

But the gift was that it could have been so much worse, being my purse was in the car, and keys. All I lost was a lousy tinted window.  I have never parked there again, in fact, I started parking in a shopping center and walking to the trails. I never, ever took my purse with me.  So, it all worked out, I got to keep running at my favorite park and learned some valuable lessons.

That brings me to what I promised myself, that I would begin a series of posts,  from now until Christmas titled Timeless Gifts. You know what those are – things you can’t price – just revel in the majesty of the gift. Instances of  kindness that blow you away, or movement of the season to make you really realize what Christmas is all about. An unbelievable act that has you falling to the floor, shouting  “I’m not worthy!”  Yeah, those kind.

I have a lot of those in my life. The car breakage is one.  Can you imagine right before Christmas to have your I.D and bank card stolen? It would have made for a tough time, to deal with all that, and wonder if you’d ever be safe again – not to mention the fallout, and punishment from #2.

I, for one, was very grateful it wasn’t that bad and still am. My eyes were opened to the Timeless Gifts that happen all around. I hope I can share them with you. I hope I do the stories justice in the coming weeks. Until then….

Happy “black” Friday! I hope you get gifts galore at half the price.

21 thoughts on “I don’t “do” Black Friday”

  3. Thank you so much for your commment. It is nice when people visit.

    Black friday scares me to death. I just hibernate at home under a comfy blanket and watch the craziness on tv…Thank you for letting me visit you.

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  4. I don’t do BF, either. Although I learned on the news this morning that our local mall was stuffed to the gills in the middle of the nite, with nary a parking space to be had by 2 a.m. My 2 chicas still shop ’til they drop, though, and were out early this a.m. to snatch up some bargains…

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  5. blissbait

    Happy Thanksgiving and day after! Your celebration sounds like it was SO lovely, and I’m a fan of what You plan to do starting today on. I could serve to do some of that kind of remembering! You got my brain ticking in a very nice way. I don’t do the whole Black Friday thing either. Think God forgot to put the girly shopping chip in me. But shopping for wonderful memories…I’m in! Thank You for sharing Your story. So cool it ended nicely. Whew! Cheers and Namaste. 🙂

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  6. I have no idea what black friday is, so I am spared all this by being geographically put somewhere else.
    However good people do have good things happen, even when things look bad.
    They can never steal the things you love and bad things cannot touch love.
    That is my story about you and I stick to it.
    Great you had a great Thanksgiving with everybody,
    Love Wilma

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  8. My happy black friday was spent traveling to deliver my dad’s oxygen tank, that he left here yesterday. Fun..

    No shopping for me! I have two presents to buy and that’s it for the year.

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  9. Linda– That sounds like a GREAT Black Friday. 🙂 Thank YOU for visiting, I really appreciate it.

    Melissa– I still can’t believe how early the shopping starts. I mean they might as well start at midnight! (I’m sure some do)
    I bet those girls got some good deals!

    Bliss-Shopping for wonderful memories. LOVELY! I didn’t get the shopping chip either, but I’m SO GLAD. 🙂 Always a joy when you skip in here.

    Wilma– That is beautiful and so true. Be so glad you don’t have Black Friday. Thank you for reminding me of precious things of the heart cannot be stolen.

    Christy-I did! Thank you. Hope yours went well also. I’ll be coming by to see.

    Heather– Oh no!!! Thank goodness you were in driving distance. Two gifts is wonderful. I won’t be buying much this year either, and I couldn’t be happier about that!

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  10. I don’t do Black Friday either. And your post is very close to true, because people have been trampled in Wal-Mart. I think last year one man has died from being trampled. Nothing is worth all that.

    Happy SITS Sharefest!!

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  12. I never shop black Fridays to crazy for me…I do know about cars being broken into around the Trinity Trails ….I never leave my purse….I leave it at home take only my drivers license and the key to the car and a bottle of water I keep those on my person…lock it all up and I’m off. Can’t wait to hear you stories of Timeless Gifts I’m surre they will be great!!!

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  13. Hi Angelia,
    Glad you had such a heart-warming time with your man’s family. And wow, you are sooooo lucky that your purse wasn’t snatched when your car was broken into. That’s definitely something to be thankful for 🙂

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  15. I just really never understood shopping. Now that I can’t leave the house it’s no problem (looking on the bright side…) but before I was disabled, just to enter a mall – my body felt like I’d landed on Jupiter, with my weight increased a thousand times…

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  17. We don’t have BF here in Germany, as we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but I know exactly what you mean. Over here we could call it “Black Sundays”, as all shops are open on Sundays right before Christmas and it seems that this is the main shopping time for most people…

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  18. You know…I’m beginning to think all the Black Friday mayhem just ain’t worth it. If it weren’t for our annual tradition to gorge at the Olive Garden replenishing all our energy sucked from the looney-tune shoppers I’d probably bag the whole thing. I’m glad you had such a nice Thanksgiving and look forward to reading your insightful words in the weeks to come!
    Mindy
    http://www.thesuburbanlife.com

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  20. Laura– I hear ya on that one! See, that is why I have a HUGE fear of crowds.

    Clyde– Hey Cuz!

    Terri-Good on ya! It was an expensive lesson to learn. I am tempted to leave my car unlocked now, since I don’t have anything valuable in it. I don’t want them to break the window. I don’t though. Aren’t the Trinity Trials wonderful!?!

    Jen-I really was, I think they just didn’t take time to search the car. They were just checking under the seat for purses. Phew!

    Katherine-I have not heard of that. How cool! I am going to check it out. Thank you for sharing and remembering.

    Paul– I completely understand. I was raised by a disabled man. Just to get the wheelchair out, and in, people don’t look, nor pay attention. It is VERY difficult. So glad there is a bright side! Paul your visit means so much to me. 🙂

    Young wife– Thanks! We should make a Black Friday Boycott club, BFBC’s, that’s kinda catchy. I hope the series is inspiring. I am working on them.

    Deiala– Oh my goodness! Yes, that sounds the same as here. Crazy, nuts, and scary!

    Mindy-I have a friend that camps out every year with her husband. They have a great time. It’s something they look forward to. I can see the Olive Garden tradition being along those lines. Yum!!!

    my kashi– WHAT? HOW? I always try that, then end up giving the gifts to the person because I can’t wait. HA.

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