Black Friday: Spend time, not money
November is coming to a close and those days off from school are upon us. This can only mean one thing: Thanksg–no, Black Friday. Ironically, the day after Thanksgiving is actually supposed to be Buy Nothing Day, an international protest against consumerism invented in the 1990s by Vancouver artist, Ted Dave. However, this day is relatively unknown because it is overshadowed by Black Friday. Thanksgiving is a day for gratefulness and family. Yet instead, many families feverently search for magazines in their trash bins for every last coupon.
Holidays, such as Thanksgiving, are given a mainstream, commercialized image in replacement of their actual significance. The anxiety people feel to get every last deal on Black Friday is not worth it. Families wait and camp out in front of their favorite stores, starting on the evening of Thanksgiving. They sit out in the cold for hours on end, in hopes that they will get all that they want for an amazing price. In reality, all they get is a punch in the face from fellow customers aiming for the same deals. Giving thanks is far from their minds. People’s need for worldly items is somehow too overpowering for them to realize how lucky they are for everything else.
I cannot fathom why such a materialistic “holiday” would directly follow Thanksgiving. The sad part is that many people don’t even realize the irony between these polar opposite holidays. They’re just used to it, because society has become so focused on materialism. People feel the need to have something tangible to always remember. They feel the necessity to have physical objects to fulfill their happiness, but this happiness is only short term because things go in and out of style. Society has given materialistic objects so much value, while forgetting the value of gratitude.
Although many people love to get ahead on all the sales Black Friday provides, many stores have decided not to open the evening of Thanksgiving–when many families like to get a head start before the rush. Stores such as Costco, Nordstrom, Marshalls, and Burlington, have opened in the past, but will be closed this year. They recognize that spending time with your family is more important than spending your money because family is not something that is outgrown. Sure, you can get tired of family once in awhile, but the memories made will last longer than the hoverboard you bought last Black Friday.
Instead of wasting time waiting in line for a store with some good deals, why not do something worthwhile with your family? Go ice skating, or go to a theme park; do something you will remember. Whatever you do, do it with your family and those you love. Do something that when you are older, you can tell stories, reminiscing about the times that you had with your family. Don’t be stuck having to recall the time where you went to the hospital on Thanksgiving because you broke your arm in a fight with someone over the last Lego Black Seas Barracuda Pirate Ship Set.
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