It was interesting. I got up to put the turkey in and was surprised to see that overnight, we had just gotten a dusting of snow. Our bad weather was late!
So Thanksgiving went off perfectly with two turkeys, two hams and all the traditional side dishes. All the traditional people were there too. Good time.
The following morning was a far different story.
The local news issued warnings about unnecessary travel, really stressing that the snow was hitting some places very hard and that made travel quite dangerous.
But in the very next segment, they talked about the Black Friday crowd of shoppers. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday here. The Friday after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday and is considered to be the kickoff for Christmas shopping.
Stores offer huge savings on things to entice people into their store. The crowds are crazy bad. I did the Black Friday thing once. It was scary, with people pushing and shoving, and being rude to each other.
You could not pay me to be a part of that even if the roads had been good.
The news reporter showed long lines of people waiting for the store to open its doors. Some people had been waiting for 5 hours in the snow. Traffic was backed up a mile at the entrance to the parking lot.
And then there was this: I watched in total disbelief. So many are struggling right now. It almost seems obscene to me. Some stores are making it easy: buy now, pay later
I'm not a grinch and neither is Tim, but we have never gone into debt for the holiday. This year, we are even more cautious than usual.
This excess just strikes me as foolish.
We have 10 inches of snow on the ground.
I am glad your Thanksgiving went well! Now you can just relax and "let it snow!". About seeming obscene. I agree. I am frequently on a neighborhood app. A big story today was that Mission Arlington distributed more than 7,000 free meals for Thanksgiving. Many posts were people asking for a turkey, and others offering to share groceries.
ReplyDeletePair that scene with many homeowners who have a great "need" for Christmas lights to be professionally installed on their homes! I don't understand why lights are so important this year. As to the huge amount of money predicted to be spent---- must be those rich people who got tax breaks who are doing the spending.
I was pleased to see that we had a number of charities and churches doing that here. There are lots of horrible things happening, but so many people are stepping up to help where they can. Ordinary citizens like you and me.
DeleteThat's a lot of snow already.
ReplyDeleteWe have Black Friday for about 3 weeks over here now, been happening for several years and we don't even have Thanksgiving! It's a strange consumer led world .
I have an aunt who makes an annual tradition of it. She and her daughters leave after eating Thanksgiving, drive an hour and a half. Spend the night in a hotel so that they can be up and in line early. They love it.
DeleteBlack Friday sales here in Australia also no Thanksgiving! All about the money, hope people can afford their spending. Glad you had a lovely day with family JennyP
ReplyDeleteThe one time I went, I watched a young man haul a batch of computers out on a plastic wrapped pallet. I can't remember the price, but it was what we were there for. The poor man never got the computers to the proper place. The crowd rushed him, and began tearing the plastic off and grabbing the computers. It was startling. The funny thing was that my football playing son had waded into the crowd to the computer department. There was no hope of getting a cart into that crowd. I was waiting in the deserted grocery aisle.i walked over to the nearly empty pallet and picked up one of the unclaimed computers, and put it on my cart. When he made it through the crowds back to me, he was disappointed that he was too late to get a computer. Boy, he was surprised. He went back in and retrieved the girls who were standing with the printer waiting for the crowds to thin. We were out of that store and on our way home less than an hour.
DeleteBlack Friday seems to have become a big thing here too, but I have noticed that the Christmas adverts for big companies here in the UK seem rather subdued and pared back compared to recent years.
ReplyDeleteI am a poor one to ask I suppose, but it does seem as it these things are quieter here too.
DeleteThat is a lot of snow at once!
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't do Black Friday or anything else like that either. Hype and nonsense...and many of the prices are not lowered...
Here, the tactic is to put a few items in very limited quantities at unbelievably low prices, just to get people in the door. There were actual cases of fights breaking out. I have never wanted any material thing that badly in all my life.
DeleteLove your snow, just rain here in UK, I can't imagine have to use credit for gifts, I only make one on line purchase on Black Friday, I make my blog into a book, and the discount is 50%, so I get a book every year.
ReplyDeleteThat is neat. Is it for yourself, or do you give them as gifts?
DeleteYes we are all badgered by Black Friday and come the sales after Xmas, there are people camping outside the stores in the freezing cold waiting to get the bargain. Glad you had a good Thanksgiving. I have come to the fact that everyone in America must own a golden retriever, or maybe a pit bull. It seems that what my algorithms seems to be telling the 'seeing eye' of the computer.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that we own neither, although I am a grandmother of one.
DeleteWe seem to have missed this snowfall, only getting a skiff, unless something happened overnight because I haven’t looked out the window yet. It’s still rather early. I should make a second cup soon.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead! Gloat!😉
DeleteI am kind of a Grinch as I feel like Christmas and all the other holidays are forced obligations upon us, not to celebrate love or family, but to out decorate and out spend or out cook each other. I've told people for years not to buy gifts for me - donate that money to an animal shelter. I'd rather have the gift of someone's company (someone I want to see, not feel obligated to see). Ugh. I could do without November and December forever.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same about receiving. I will own to a certain joy is finding the perfect gift. Although, too often, my perfect gift misses the mark.
DeleteIt seems all wrong to encourage people to spend when life is so difficult for so many. The other thing that really gets my goat is gambling advertising.
ReplyDeleteToo much snow for you - keep safe.
Oh i hate it too. I don't think it should be legal, frankly, even with the 'if gambling becomes a problem, get help' message at the end.
DeleteThe big thing among my folks is the shopping blackout to penalize the big companies supporting fascism. No shopping for anything from Amazon, Home Depot, Target, etc. Shop locally if possible, especially minority owned businesses, to help them. It's having an effect.
ReplyDeleteI would be a huge liar if I didn't say that I hope, hope, hope with all my heart, heart, heart that the Christmas giveaway is big enough to have an impact on those very businesses.
DeleteI have never participated in black Friday nor will I ever. I'd rather chop off a toe. I cannot believe people are that interested in shopping but I suppose they are.
ReplyDeleteGlad your Thanksgiving was a good one and happened before the horrible weather.
Some are, but my own thoughts are more aligned with yours, although I seem to be a bit more attached to my toes!
DeleteHave never participated in any Black Friday events!
ReplyDeleteJust once, 20 years or so ago.
DeleteI accidentally was shopping on Black Friday once I think. I hate crowds and I don't shop much anymore, so I'm not really the right demographic for Black Friday. Capitalism at it's finest, spend money you don't have, mortgage your future. Bah humbug:)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good Thanksgiving.
I keep wondering when people will wake up to that? I was very amused to read of big business' Take on something called 'appliance hoarding'. Translation? People are no longer replacing perfectly good things with the latest model. Gave me hope for this world, I tell you.
DeleteI don't do Black Friday shopping at the stores but do sometimes do some online Black Friday sales. I like to think the people aren't going into debt but are using the sales to buy things they will need anyway for less to save money. They probably aren't, but I still like to think it. I have never gone in debt for Christmas, either. Many years were quite sparse, but still happy. :)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many 'new in box' things being sold on market place that you just know that people do not need (or want) a lot of the things they are being gifted.
DeleteI was talking to my neighbor yesterday (on the phone because we are old). We talked about the sales. As we have gotten older, there is no attraction. We are blessed to have all we need, there is nothing that would entice us to leave the house when the roads are bad or the crowds are huge. I just wonder how much debt these shoppers are accruing on their sprees.
ReplyDeleteI am participating in the boycott of online sellers, too. Nothing I need - what I do need to do is purge!
The same. Exactly the same.
DeleteGlad your Thanksgiving went well! I haven’t done Black Friday in years. I buy throughout the year, and mostly at discount stores. I also buy unique items from Etsy from small sellers. Pretty much done shopping and can enjoy the Christmas season. Cali
ReplyDeleteI bought two gifts from Etsy this year too.
DeleteGlad you & Tim had a nice Thanksgiving Debby, and I was hoping you'd share your snow on here--WOW. I saw the weather report for you guys on the local news, and was curious how much you wound up with. As for Black Friday and all the hordes out shopping... oh I so don't miss that.
ReplyDeleteI imagine it is even worse in the big city!
DeleteI don't do Black Friday and I'm doing what Boud suggested and not shopping at Target, Home Depot or Amazon. I will support local businesses. We are getting snow today - maybe up to 10 inches! So I'm happy to stay home!
ReplyDeleteWe are doing the zero spend as well. So far so good except that I do need to pick up a gallon of milk, two prescriptions and a feliway refill. (Darn cats!)
DeleteWe are participating as well. We do have to unfortunately go out today. We need a gallon of milk, two prescriptions and a feliway Diffuser refill for the darn cats.
DeleteI don't get Black Friday, never have, never will. The "stampede" mentality is just offensive to me. Just nuts. Wise to avoid in good weather, let alone bad.
ReplyDeleteOffensive is the perfect word. Frenzied shopping is as diametrically opposite of what Christmas should be as it is possible to get.
DeleteWe participated in Black Friday once that I can recall. My brother made us go to Fry's electronics, they were selling Epsom printers for $10. We should have bought multiples just for the ink cartridges. That was it, no mas! Jim and I used to be entertainment shoppers, we could wander a mall for hours in the winter, just for something to do. No mas to that anymore, either. I hate shopping! Congratulations on a successfull T-day.
ReplyDeleteMy one experience was to get a computer that the kids were anxious to have. We couldn't have bought it otherwise.
DeleteThat's great that your Thanksgiving went well and that you escaped the nasty weather. I've never done a Black Friday and don't intend to. For me, the idea of it and the craziness/attitudes of the people ruin the holiday spirit. Plus, how much more "stuff" do we need?
ReplyDeleteThat is a question each of us should be asking ourselves.
DeleteMy black Friday shopping consisted of a quick run to the grocery for cat food, so I can hunker down this weekend and just admire the snowfall. Hope you stay safe and warm inside.
ReplyDeleteCelie. Google won't let me sign in.
DeleteNo black Friday for this gal, either.
ReplyDeleteThere is a reassuring number of us, isn't there?
DeleteDave and I don't buy many gifts at all -- for each other or for anyone else. (Most of my family skips presents in general.) We'd rather spend our money on experiences like traveling to spend time with family members at the holidays. I don't think I've ever set foot in a store on Black Friday, which, sadly, is becoming a thing overseas as well.
ReplyDeleteAnother unfortunate export.
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