We saw this quote and just had to share. It struck us that we may be losing sight on what is truly important this holiday season.
Christmas Gift Suggestions
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
-Oren Arnold
Last year, in our post-turkey bloat, we grabbed the remote and settled into something we rarely do. We vegged in front of the boob-tube.
Immediately we felt bombarded. The blaring onslaught of Black Friday ads was funny at first. We sat and mocked in our usual GypsyNester fashion.
But after an hour or so, being yelled at to BUY! BUY! BUY! the commercials didn’t seem so funny anymore.
They had become insulting and irritating.
In fact there’s no waiting until Friday anymore, we were right in the midst of what seemed to be the first Black Thanksgiving. Stores are now opening up on Thursday night for their “Friday” sales!
The evening news carried a segment with “professional shoppers” bestowing tips on how to survive Black Friday. One ad had the gall to suggest that Black Friday was the day of the year we should be looking forward to most.
It seems every year we hear the horror stories of folks — in a frenzy to buy the hottest items at the lowest price — camping out on freezing sidewalks, coming to blows with their neighbors, and being trampled by fellow shoppers.
We doubt this year will be different. Except that now it starts right after Thanksgiving dinner… or maybe even before.
Trust us, we will not be a part of it.
Now get off my lawn.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
YOUR TURN: You’ve heard our rant. How do YOU feel about Black Friday? Do you brave the crowds?
This was my first year that I’ve got into the “Black Friday” frenzy. I am happy I bought some stuff, though it was more for the experience than anything else.
Suppose it is something worth seeing in person once.
The Oren Arnold poem is wonderful and rife with brilliant examples! Thanks for sharing it!
Isn’t it great!
Consumerism at its worst.
Yup.
I have & will always hate this day. I have plenty of friends back in the states who work at some of those places that were actually open on Thanksgiving Day.
They’re usually offered Time & A Half or Double Pay – I used to get the latter at the Airline – but even we shut down after 7pm! They’ll also receive some kind of psuedo thanksgiving spread that would make High School lunch ladies cringe.
There’s quite a lot of hate in my heart for this day, it’s a day, not a holiday, just a f^&*ing day!
Companies actually make products specifically to sell on this day, w/ sub-par parts, that are the same “model” until you notice the extra letter or number or two at the end of the model number. Nope sorry sucker, your 50″flat screen will probably die in 6 months, good luck with that.
They prey on the poor with this day, and there are plenty poor in the states.
COME SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY HERE & WE’LL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE SAVING A TON!!
Ohh consumerism, go ‘murica!
I have FB friends who are boycotting retail stores that stayed open for Thanksgiving. Our son is visiting us from South Beach in Miami. He was at loose end yesterday (TG day) because all the local coffee places were closed by noon or never opened.
Brewing a pot at home so those guys could have Thanksgiving off is a small price to pay… and let the boycott begin! 🙂
Black Friday is bad enough. Starting the sales on Thanksgiving evening even worse! But today we found two big box retailers open at 6:00 AM ON Thanksgiving!
We find that ALL our local, small businesses CLOSED today. Guess where we decided to do all of our shopping this year. Yes, maybe we will spend a little more for the same or similar items but it becomes a matter of principle. Sorry to say, I have ignored that for years but this year, I change!
Yes, we noticed too how Black Friday has now taken over Thanksgiving day. It’s madness! Love your idea of shopping at the small businesses.
It’s also worth pointing out that 70% of the Black Friday sales are online! So you can do some shopping, take advantage of the sales and help pull the retail industry into the black, but you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn–or God forbid trample each other! 🙂
Good call!
On Black Friday, I make it a point to go hiking with my kids and the dog! It’s great, because even the most crowded trails are completely empty.
Sounds good.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16-17)
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, an almah shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14)
Kinda deep biblical stuff but no where does it say thou shalt save a buck on an ipad!
Hahahaha! True. Were there iPads back then? 😉
I’ve gone shopping on Black Friday, on my way into work, for the last 10 years. I only go to Kohls because of the bonus bucks. And I only go because my work sponsors 1 to 2 families each year so I shop for them. With the bonus bucks I can go back the next week and get towels, socks, etc. Today I shopped for a family with 8 kids and 2 parents. Ordinarily I hate shopping, but it’s kind of fun when you’re doing it for someone else. But to go for myself…uck. If I didn’t have to work the Friday after, I’d be home by the fireplace with a good book!
What a wonderful thing you do every year! A noble reason to brave the crowds – thanks SO much for sharing!
I hate Black Friday with all the passion of a thousand suns. It makes me sick. I don’t need something so bad I would brave those crowds and witness the trampling of the elderly to get to a $3 chopper. Although I will shamefully admit about seven years ago I did venture out, but it taught me a valuable lesson.
I used to write web copy and one of the articles I researched was the best time of year to buy certain products. Funnily enough, Black Friday was never mentioned.
Madness.
We love your passion… perhaps not quite a thousand suns worth, but we love it. 😉
I hate shopping—–every day of the year.
I am guilty too of getting in the “Black Friday” frenzy. I stopped doing this 2 years ago. There is nothing I need that can’t wait till another day. I am now 55 and I can’t stand to get into the crowds, the pushing, the shoving. So stupid! Give me time with my family! That’s what it’s all about!
We second that.