~ Nov. 26, 2008
Black Friday
I have read a lot of posts and twitters this week about why people don't shop on Black Friday. I've heard some valid answers like "no one to watch the kids","I have to work so you can shop". I have also heard the ones I consider pretty lame like "I don't like crowds", "No one shares the holiday spirit on Black Friday", "I'm not getting up that early". Well, I wanted to share why I go shopping before dawn on Black Friday.
Years ago my dad worked overnights dispatching for 9-1-1. One day after Thanksgiving dad didn't come right home after work. I remember he was a few hours late when he finally came through the door. Mom and I had already done what we could to rationalize away the reason he was that late coming home. Anyway, he came in the door and told us we had to go in the other room because he had been Christmas shopping and he had to bring stuff in to hide in his bedroom. Of course we dutifully obeyed. Dad has always loved Christmas. He has the largest collection of Christmas music on LP, Cassette and CD that I know of, but shopping?
After he emerged from hiding his purchases, he told us about all the fun he had shopping from 6am on. He shared with us goody bags that some of the stores handed out. Target's goody bag was the coolest. It had candy and an energy bar, some mints and other goodies to help get you through a long day of holiday shopping.
For a few years Black Friday was dad's day. He went after work and when he arrived home we left him alone to hide his purchases. That all changed in 1993. This was my first Christmas as a mom. Christmas takes on a new meaning when you are a mom and when your baby is the first grandchild in the family. So this is the first year I accompany dad on his Black Friday trek. I am the newbie but he shows me the ropes, he coaches me in the fine art of keeping your hand on the item you have to have at Wal-mart even though the sale doesn't "officially" start for another 30 minutes. We have a blast together and he even takes me out to breakfast at about 8:30am.
In 1994 we spend part of Thanksgiving Day searching the ads for the items on our lists, we plan our course of action and check out the store opening times. When we arrive on line outside Target waiting for the store to open, we run into an old friend of mine from high school, Gina. She also worked with my dad for a while so we all spend time catching up while we wait. We have run into Gina many Black Fridays at Target.
This will be my 15th Black Friday. Dad and I will get up early, we will hit the stores like Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and Radio Shack all before breakfast. Unless there is a deal we just have to get we will wait to head to the mall until later in the day. After breakfast we head back to the house and everyone else is getting ready to shop. We usually take a little nap and then, when the entire clan is ready we head to the mall. We use this time to let the other family members show what they would like for Christmas-we don't usually do too much shopping on this trip. We usually eat lunch at the mall and some years we go out to dinner on the way home. To me, Black Friday is more than the money I save and the gifts I buy. It is the one day of the year that everyone knows belongs to dad and I. Memories no one else in the family shares with us.
