It's one of my favorite holidays. I love the meal and the easiness of the day. Being thankful for our small family, for the life our daughter has been awarded, for our friends who are indeed our extended family, for our pets who love us unconditionally, for our fabulous home in it's idealistic setting.
Thanksgiving is a great day.
Then there's Friday.
Black Friday.
Ugh.
I don't do it.
Ever.
And I don't want anyone standing outside Kmart for me at 4am to buy me
a blue ray player for $40.
I don't WANT anything that bad.
What I don't like about the winter holidays is the extreme materialism that
takes over people.
I don't really WANT things anymore.
Sure I would like a new sweater, a bamboo chopping board, and Phillipa
Gregory's latest novel.
But I don't have to have those things.
I don't need to shop til I drop.
Nor do I want to.
And I don't do that for my kids. I don't want them to see that in me.
I like to spread it out. To make them happy, but not at a cost.
I listen through the year and write things down that I hear them repeatedly say
they like and then start buying gifts for them in July.
I don't know what compels people to shop in extreme ways. To spend exorbitant
amounts of money on Christmas gifts.
If you really want to make an impact, buy someone that you love a gift and
give it to them on a Tuesday.
Tuesday.
No one would expect that and it would probably be more memorable for them than a big gift on Christmas morning that gets lost in all of the gift wrap and hubbub of Christmas morning.
Do something from the heart instead of giving your hard-earned money to mass retailers...
Donate to an organization in honor of someone you know or who is no longer here.
Take your dog to the nursing home to visit the residents.
Take small toys to the local Children's hospital.
Bake a basket of cookies and take them to the firehouse.
Turn your energy into a positive one.
Not one that wants to buy, buy, buy and rush, rush, rush.
But one that wants to sit still and witness the world around.
To help.
To give back.
To truly remember what you are thankful for.
Well amen to that. I'm doing Black Friday this year. A friend is in town and she thought it would be fun. I highly doubt it but I'm going regardless. I'm not a morning person and can't stand crowds. The people here drive awful, so it will interesting at the least. My niece Annette wrote and told me about you and your little girl. So sorry to hear about what you all have been through. It puts a whole new weight on what to be thankful for I'm sure. Anyway give Annette a squeeze. I love that girl.
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