What better way to complement eating double your weight in food on Thanksgiving day than by going out and spending double your net worth shopping Black Friday deals?
While this first round of holidays isn’t exactly about making healthy choices, there is something about Black Friday shopping that holds a special place in my heart. There is an element of adventure and excitement to venturing out into the abyss of soccer moms bursting through the doors for a discounted TV, drowning in lines of people with red noses and hopeful faces. There is something special about driving around in search of deals, one person at the wheel and one person, ads in hand, navigating the various stops along the way. Getting out of the car is a tough task, as the icy wind blows the light polluted whips of water vapor above the lively shopping malls. Hats, gloves, and layers upon layers is the only mode of survival on a night like this. But it’s worth it. It’s worth the adrenaline rush when you get the last doorbuster in stock. But more exciting than the deals is embarking on this adventure with your family and friends. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. And then there is that store that doesn’t open until 3 AM, so you end up taking a half-hour nap in the car with the heat blasting, Christmas music jingling through the radio. You feel like Mariah Carey actually just wants you for Christmas as you close your eyes and sip your hot chocolate, immersing yourself in holiday bliss. K Mart, Shopko, Target, Oh my. So many places to go, so little time.
You start to see a hazy blue glow as if the world is a watercolor painting that’s seeing the sun for the first time. Chimneys with finger-like protrusions billow toward the sky as the world yawns to life yet again. Part of you feels like a total rebel, energized, having just stayed out all night, while the other part of you could fall asleep on a bed of nails and be perfectly content. When you get back home, silence and warmth surrounds you, and you drift into sleep for a few hours before the big football game. But who needs dreams when you just had the best dream ever, a real life dream? Black Friday is just that. It isn’t a top-notch concert or a raging nightclub. It doesn’t cost a fortune (well, maybe) or require a suit and tie. It’s a sweatpant-wearing, no pressure kinda event where you can just be yourself and nothing more, nothing less. So if you get the chance to go shopping on the town after your festivities, I say go for it! You won’t regret it.
