Let's Do Something Different On Black Friday

What Is BLACK FRIDAY? I never even knew what it was until I started paying attention to what was being said about it on television. The day after Thanksgiving, the countdown to the shopping days before Christmas which is celebrated on December 25th of every year. The Thanksgiving Holiday in the USA falls on the last Friday of November. This year, 2010, Thanksgiving falls on November 25. That is exactly 30 days before Christmas. What are you going to do the day after?

I usually work. Being in the Nursing profession, I have the potential to work any hours twenty four hours, seven days a week. It is always comforting to know that I have an opportunity to work when ever I want, and I have been in the position in some companies in which it is mandatory to work on the holidays or weekends. Some consider the day after the Thanksgiving a holiday, or just an excuse not to work considering it is always a Friday, the day before the weekend.

People usually take the time to make it a vacation weekend. And extended period to visit loved ones out of town, or even in town. It is the busiest time of year for the airports, train and bus stations and the highways for personal car travel. It can be the most hazardous time of the year to be out and about on the road going to see family, and to do things that some don't have the time to do all year long. It is the most stressful time of year for some, so it is a potentially harmful to one's health as well, because this time of year can cause one to feel a need to connect with those loved ones they did not have time for all year long.

Black Friday, though, is a term used for the merchandising industry, for the commercial world, the industry that promotes the desire to SPEND SPEND SPEND! Cold cash, and Plastic Cash and the outcome of anyone to deplete their overtime earnings or their saved tax refunds, or their unspent earned work Bonuses. It is also an opportunity for the Power of Plastic, that imaginary Dollar on the promise that you will pay back on Credit; or the ability to buy on layaway, of the incentive to have the the first month free- pay nothing now and add on interest to the next year. Everyone has a Choice on how they want to SPEND SPEND SPEND on this glorious day they call Black Friday.

The malls and local department stores will open at 6AM, which encourages the potential early spenders to arrive at 4AM, with the plan to buy what the most saleable item is to buy the item that will sellout the fastest. Advertisers have the best success for this day. I can only imagine how people feel when they rearrange their whole routine just to lose sleep after the biggest eating holiday of the year to wait in line for the doors to open at their local mall of store of choice to purchase that "ONE" Item that some one just is "Dying to Have".

What to do on Black Friday

So what are the alternatives to spending Black Friday? May this hub writer now have the priviledge of sharing with you some ideas.

1. WORK. My job opportunity is 24hours/7 days a week. How about you?
2. SLEEP. Not my favorite choice, except for the time I had major surgery on the day before Thanksgiving, and I was still under the infuence of anesthesia, and pain medicine.
3. Clean the house. Well, that is a good idea, if you had lots of people over the day before.
4. Make a list of things to do before Christmas. This could take all day.
5. Start writing out those Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa cards (OR whatever your traditional holiday celebration is-I did not want to leave anyone out)
6. Start your New Year's Resolution list.
7. Play with your children all day.
8. Start a new hobby.
9. Watch old movies, or family videos (I am sure someone still has a VCR player that works)
10. Catch up with good old friends.
11. Create new recipes with all those Thanksgiving leftovers.
12. DO NOT go shopping for anything. It would be crazy to think you could get in and out of a store parking lot with ease on this day. Hopefully, you will plan ahead and have everything you need before the long weekend.

I certainly hope this list offers some good ideas for the day after Thanksgiving. It is a shame that we get caught up in the retailed minded way of life. We are supposed to enjoy what we have and not go crazy with what we do not have. Life is too too precious to waste standing in line at a store when you could be doing anything else. Unless of course, you really like the joy of BLACK FRIDAY. Some really do.