There must be something wrong with me. I don’t seem to have the shopping gene that propels millions of sane and intelligent people to venture out in the middle of the night to buy stuff. Yes, I’m talking about Black Friday. In their quest to save a few bucks or perhaps just to join in the madness, throngs of shoppers will descend on retail stores everywhere to begin (or continue) their Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.
The stores seem to open earlier every year. Black Friday deals lure them in regardless of the time. I’m pretty sure that in the not so distant future, Thanksgiving itself will no longer be an actual holiday. It will, instead, herald the first official day of Christmas shopping for all those people who think getting a good deal on a purchase is the ultimate reason for the season.
What about the birth of Jesus? Oh sure, there are still a few of us who remember that without God’s love and redemption, there would be no Christmas, but Santa has been trying to erase this from our psyches for a very long time. Judging from the hoopla that encompasses Black Friday, he’s winning… by a landslide. Consumption and greed has become part of our culture and there’s probably no going back to earlier times when Christmas was viewed by most as a Holy Day rather than a holiday.
I’m grateful that I don’t enjoy shopping. I have absolutely no desire to go into any kind of retail store anytime soon, but especially on Black Friday. That isn’t my idea of a good time and never will be. What’s more, I don’t understand the urge so many people have to participate in this circus every year. If I sound like Scrooge, so be it. Bah, humbug.