Pondering Black Friday

(25-Nov-2011) When did we start “celebrating” Black Friday? It seems to me that so many Americans were looking forward to the start of the holiday shopping season, and all of the sales at the stores, and everyone forgot to be “thankful” for what they already have. I saw more advertisements for Black Friday during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade than I remember seeing before. I read about the crowds lining up days in advance, missing time with loved ones, to get the best deals. I think most Americans have forgotten what Thanksgiving and the “holiday season” is all about.

My generation, “Generation X” and younger, has been diligently trained by television, advertisers, toy companies, department stores, and even politicians, that shopping is good, stuff is important, having credit is admirable, and using credit is patriotic. We’ve never had to save for a down payment on a house, always used credit to purchase large ticket items, and don’t really know the difference between “need” and “want”. Many of us have much more than our parents’ and grandparents’ could have imagined, and we still want more! We don’t just want more, we EXPECT more.

However, if I think about my grandparents, I know they would be worried about how I live my life, and would think I have too much stuff that I couldn’t really afford. Of course, I can afford the payments on the house, cars, bills, credit cards, and even have savings – but that isn’t how my grandparents lived. They saved for everything, paid cash for everything, and only bought big ticket items if they had to. They never would be caught up in the madness of Black Friday.

So why do we seem to look forward to “shopping” for “stuff” we don’t need for a Christian holiday that many Americans only recognize as secular? When did “Black Friday” start? The first time the “Black Friday” term was used was in 1966 by Philadelphia police. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the day before the Army-Navy football game, so shopping and traffic was unusually heavy, thus very busy for the Philly cops. However, retailers began using the term in the 1970s, and wasn’t the best retail day for stores until the mid 2000s.

As a patriotic, Christian American, I have worked very hard these past few years to teach my family to value “stuff” less, and family, friends, and God more. It has been a hard lesson, as I have to battle my own wants along with my children. But as the value for family, friends, and God goes up, I have noticed the value for “stuff” going down. This year, even our Christmas shopping budget has gone down, and the kids have asked when they can donate some of their unwanted/unneeded “stuff”.

We must, as a country, get back to the values and principles that founded the United States of America. That is how we avoid celebrating “stuff” to the point where people are willing to use violence to attain the best “stuff”. That is how we will get back to celebrating America’s history, and the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is how we will take America back!

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