Tis the season to be jolly!
I wonder where that statement originated. It sure was not during a Christmas shopping trip — at least not in the stores I have shopped in. And Black Friday is anything but jolly.
I tried shopping on Black Friday, not on purpose, I just had some things I wanted to pick up. It was the day after Thanksgiving and all the ads had announced it was Black Friday. But they must have got it wrong because Black Friday lived on and all the stores were still trying to sell their leftover stuff a week later. I guess the store managers decided to make Black Friday serve every day of the week, so it lingered long after the holiday passed.
As I ventured out early on that Friday, very unaware of what I was to encounter, I learned a lot. I now know why it is called Black — it is very dark when it begins and store parking lots are full well before the sun rises on Friday.
I began my shopping at a big box store and was surprised to see more merchandise on the floor than the shelves. The entire sales force was working, there were as many of them as there were shoppers and it was hard to navigate through the store. We found the few items we needed and surrendered, returning to our safe place for a rest. We reviewed our list and passed up the great Friday sales suspecting there would be more coming.
Our plan was to start out early Monday morning, assuming all the Black Friday pusher and shover shoppers had gone back to work. We did pretty well on this trip, checking off things on our list. But when we checked out, we discovered most of the items we purchased were for us. This was not bad news: now we would not have to shop for each other.
We would however need yet another shopping trip to deal with the Christmas list. We and our fellow shoppers encountered an historic phenomenon as we rushed from place to place this year. Our area was hit with 10 days of repeated rain storms, dumping over 15 inches of rain in my area. Streets were flooded and cars sent huge wakes as they navigated the water. Those on sidewalks had to jump quickly to avoid a total soaking. I’m sure some of the gifts purchased reached their destinations a bit soggy.
If all the rain that fell here had been snow — it would cover the roofs and Santa would have a hard time finding chimneys to scoot down to deliver gifts.
Youngsters, eagerly awaiting the jolly guys’ arrival, have sent off their wish list to the North Pole. If you are inclined to really enjoy Christmas, find a child who is in need and give them a gift. Take dinner to a family who is having hard times, drop a $10 bill in the red pot or help a Wounded Warrior.
If you want to make another person smile, say “Thank You” to those you know are protecting us. They may serve in the military, your local fire department, be a police officer of EMT in the community. Express your appreciation to all those ready to help keep us safe.