Friday 29 November 2013

Black Friday

I had never heard of Black Friday until a few years ago. It's an American shopping frenzy that takes place on the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving Thursday. From what I saw on the TV news tonight, it's not only for shopping.... throw in a couple of riots, scuffles with police on the store floor, and gunshots fired in crowded parking lots.
Black Friday has crossed the border into Canada, even though our Thanksgiving was seven weeks ago. And we're a lot less frantic than our American cousins.
We line up politely waiting for the stores to open.
We hold the door open for the customers coming in behind us.
And we apologise if we grab the same item as someone else. It's the Canadian way.
I thought I'd check out the local mall.
Although the parking lot was full, the mall seemed relatively empty, until I went into some of the stores and had to join a long queue to reach the cashier.
Good old Santa seemed a bit lonely sitting in his oversized chair. But it's early days yet.... still a couple of days until December starts. I wonder what's in those ginormous prezzies.
Christmas decorations everywhere.
Except in my house.
For me, real Christmas doesn't begin until the week before the big day and that's when I put the tree up. OlderSon says I'm a Grinch. I think he already has his house decorated. The Hallowe'en stuff comes down and the Christmas stuff goes up. But I don't want to be reminded of Christmas in my house every day for a month or more, it's bad enough when I go shopping! Bah, Humbug!

7 comments:

  1. Isn't it just crazy that we have Black Friday here? It doesn't mean a single thing. Before you know it, the Amurikans will have our Boxing Day (Week, Month) sales.

    I like your photos.. particularly the reflection in the ornament and lonely Santa.

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  2. UGH! I HATE Black Friday and the frenzy it usually means in America, giving it such a bad name. We spend all that time being thankful for what we have, supposedly, and go out and act like crazy maniacs who think we need more. UGH. What's wrong with this picture???? I'm really sorry it's seeped over the border.

    But I'm one who loves the Christmas decorations and will leave them up as long as possible. Plans are to start that process this next week.... As I always said to the kids, "I love the Christmas tree because it's so quiet!" :)

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  3. Black Friday is new in Brazil...and I never been in one...
    Love Christmas trees with its fresh scent.

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  4. We're like you and wait until about a week or so before Christmas to do the decorations. The shops here are full of Christmas now, of course, but it all gets a bit over-the-top in retail.

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  5. I avoid store like the plague on such days. Boxing Day will be coming soon to a mall near you.

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  6. Black Friday is a symptom that spending money and accumulating stuff are more important than just about anything else to many people. Just sayin'.

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  7. Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday but Black Friday is my least favorite tradition. I avoid it at all costs. Let's just say I'd make a good Canadian. :)

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