We decided to have a simpler Christmas this year. We aren't buying any gifts, we are making them all from materials we already have or from the few materials we will be buying. But every gift and every treat is going to be homemade.
But I was still counting down to Black Friday.
Why? Well, our new house came with a not-so-new stove. Literally it's from the 1970's. And when you cook from scratch (especially during the holidays) you tend to use the stove and oven... a lot. So our plan was to spend a few weeks getting settled then we can use my negotiating skills and the holiday deals to buy a newer one on Black Friday.
Then I saw ads like this:
Black Friday is now on Thursday. And not just Thursday at 11pm. Thursday - right during your family's Thanksgiving dinner.
My initial reaction: This is wrong.
Thanksgiving day isn't about shopping or buying MORE things.
Thanksgiving day is about appreciating the things you HAVE by spending time with your family, counting your blessings, practicing contentment.
My second reaction: If I'm supposed to already be AT stores when I would normally be flipping through the newspaper, shuffling and clipping ads and mapping out my plan of attack - when am I going to prep?
Then I realized something.
Whether you are prepping the day of or the day before; whether you are shopping the day of, or the day after. You are missing the most important part about Thanksgiving.
Centering this week around shopping for Black Friday is saying that Thanksgiving is NOT about giving thanks, being content, and feeling blessed. It's saying that thanksgiving is about needing more.
I can't believe it's taken me almost 23 years to realize this.
I don't want my children to remember or associate Thanksgiving as the time when mom leaves on an important 10 hour mission of consumerism. I want my children to associate Thanksgiving as it is meant: Gratitude, contentment, appreciation.
So, no stove shopping for us.
We may end up getting something more basic when we buy our new stove, but I know God will provide the opportunity to buy just what we need and I am incredibly grateful for that. Honestly I will be grateful for anything made in this century...
(Uh oh, is this when God really tests my heart? I'm not getting a new stove at all anymore, am I?)
If you are able to find a balance in celebrating Thanksgiving and taking advantage of Black Friday deals - it is your choice. But I am a sinner. And I love shopping. And I'm still new to the process of having a content heart. And I know that I cannot be completely present with my family on Thursday if I have the intent to accomplish something as intense as Black Friday.
If you are still going to participate, all I ask if that you schedule your shopping trips around your family time - not the other way around.
Will you give up Black Friday?
Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to future posts!
I won't give it up but it has become less important than the first year I went. I will NOT however participate on Thanksgiving day. I had the same reaction, Seriously? on Thanksgiving, how sad.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find the perfect stove soon.
God Bless!
We don't do black friday here either. Haven't in years actually. It is actually kinda scary to shop in the holidays in big city like where we live. Thus is the first year we are completely ditching consumerism though. It's like s lifted weight really. I am already 4/5 ths done with my christmas gifts stuff leaving me free to enjoy the advent season which has given mea happy warm feeling!
ReplyDeleteStephie N
SimplyBEEcause.blogspot.com
I'm too much of a baby to wake up early and fight other shoppers! But I do love me some online shopping :) I'll still check out any black friday or cyber monday deals on things we were intending to buy anyways. Not so much holiday gifts, but things to stock up on for our home like diapers etc. My motivation to give homemade gifts may be my secret way of spreading crunchiness lol... doesnt everyone want wool dryer balls and coconut oil moisturizer?
ReplyDeleteOh, me too - it can be downright dangerous in some places. The deals are always tempting, but homemade gifts are often the most appreciated anyway :) Thanks, Beth, for the reminder of where our priorities ought to lie.
DeleteI am contemplating dryer balls, Ali. Let me know how yours turn out :)
Deletegood job! no black friday where I live, so no option for me. I appreciate your recognition of materialism's impact on us.
ReplyDeletehaha....I remember you going out (as a teen) in a snow storm and thinking "you're crazy!" Hey, your stove might not be pretty, but at least it works. Give your stove a name and it will become part of the family :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Great idea ^^^ :D
DeleteHaha! Great idea ^^^ :D
DeleteThat is a good idea. Hmmm...
DeleteYou know, all of this craziness is really interesting to me. When I was growing up, it was always just my mom and brother and myself. And on Thanksgiving we would eat dinner and then head to LL Bean, which is open 365 days/year...yes even open on Christmas. We never thought anything of it. It was just a fun tradition that we had. Then when I was in college, we started going to the black Friday things at midnight, because it was a fun tradition. We rarely buy anything, but love to be out in the middle of it all. We will probably continue to do it, because it is a fun time for us. But, I can understand not wanting to go out while dinner is still cooking :-)
ReplyDeleteBlack Friday is nonsense to me. I've never felt the need to participate and the fact that stores are starting sales on Thanksgiving really makes me sick. It's ridiculous that we can't live even one day without shopping. I much prefer making gifts. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I stopped by from the Barn Hop!
Blessings,
Missy
http://gracefullittlehoneybee.blogspot.com
I never shop on Black Friday. I'm originally from England so up until I married my husband and moved to the States I never celebrated Thanksgiving anyway, let alone went shopping the next day. When I worked full time I would volunteer to work the 'skeleton day' on the Friday just so I wouldn't have to deal with the "crazy people"! I can't imagine a deal that great that I would be tempted to fight and wrestle with crowds to take advantage of it. Thanksgiving day is for my family. Friday is for getting the Christmas decorations down from the attic ;)
ReplyDeleteI've only shopped once on a Black Friday. It was enough for me and I would never shop on Thanksgiving. I just can't stand the crowds, no parking, the rushing, pushing, etc. PLUS, the season isn't (for me) shopping. It's become so commercialized, trying to make that last buck. The season for me is family, and celebrating the birth of our Lord.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Carmella!
DeleteWe did all homemade gifts last year too, and although it was a lot of work, it was totally worth it. We saved money, didn't support the big box stores, and the gifts were so much more meaningful and loved!
ReplyDeleteWe're doing homemade gifts again this year. It's definitely more challenging coming up with good ideas (especially the second year in a row), but it's so worth it.
I'm excited to see you post what you come up with :)
DeleteBeing in a crowded place sounds like a wonderful form of torture for me, so no Black Friday here! It is really terrible that retailers are opening on Thursday. Thanksgiving is a family day and there are some things that just need to remain sacred in this country! For pete's sake...
ReplyDeleteI shopped Black Friday a few times years ago and was so turned off by the craziness. I'd much rather stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet on our off-grid homestead with the family...away from the ratrace. Isn't that one reason we live out here anyway?
ReplyDeleteThere are occasions we need a larger item that may be on sale, like a camera or something, so we look for deals online. This year my dd needs a laptop and I'm hoping a good sale will match our small budget...but I'm not going anywhere, except to my parents' home for Thanksgiving dinner. If we can't find it online, it will have to wait.
I love your idea about making everything for Christmas. We are trying to break away from the materialistic mindset in America, so the past few years we've stuck to recycled gifts (things we already have but can be passed to another member of the family...we buy from our children at garage sale prices, since it's likely they came from a garage sale or Goodwill anyway, and the younger children especially love getting something that used to belong to an older sibling) or simple things we need or are useful here on the homestead, like garden gloves, garden tools, fruit trees, etc. It helps keep Christmas from being a "gimme" day.
I never tried black friday until I went with a huge group of my in laws a few years ago. I enjoyed that! But the last time we went, it was just too stressful, too materialistic, and everyone was too, too crabby. It was certainly not in the spirit of the day - and I usually never bought much anyway! So no more black friday for me!
ReplyDeleteAmen!! We are doing a $10 Christmas Challenge this year, so no Black Friday shopping for us! We're thinking of a bonfire instead if the weather is nice. Maybe we'll burn all those ads too! http://www.greeneggsandgoats.com/2012/11/10-christmas-challenge.html
ReplyDeleteHeather...
DeleteLove your $10 challenge idea and the bonfire idea too.
Good luck
We are not big BF shoppers. Really, we try not to buy too much at all... but that isn't always the way it works. When we do go, it isn't early. We sleep, we eat. Sometime later, we may go out... we may not. Certainly if there isn't anything we need, we stay in. This year we may or may not go out in search of shoes for our almost 6 year old. Or maybe we'll wait for Saturday.
ReplyDeleteLife isn't about the sales... ever. If we save a bunch of money, but put true priorities behind it, it's not worth it! :)
Yay!!! Love this post. :) I have done black Friday in the past, but never been too insane about it. I won't be going this year bc hubby is working and we really don't have anything to spend anyway!! I have loved your Posts on contentment because God has me in the very same place right now...I started a little mini-series on my blog jus to help hold me accountable. I think i will share this post too. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post, and I do agree with you. I am planning and hoping to do more homemade gifts and spend less time at the stores. I remember as a kid, Christmas was much simpler--what happened? The best part of the holidays is the time spent with family and friends.
ReplyDeleteClaudine
I 100% agree with you lady. I love this post :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not doing Black Friday either. It's too crazy. I also feel frustrated when I hear how many stores are open on Thanksgiving. Stores need to be closed on holidays so everyone can celebrate, not just the people who get the day off from work. It's ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Barb. My heart goes out to those who are scheduled to work - and who can't turn it down due to finances :(
DeleteAmen! I love this post. :) I haven't done Black Friday in years. When do retailers expect us to spend time bonding with our families? I'm so turned off by the huge push to BUY BUY BUY! I'd much rather have a quiet, loving holiday. I'll cherish the memories more than any store-bought gift.
ReplyDeleteI was never a big fan of Black Friday. I would rather spend the day in a stress-free environment with the family. Starting Black Friday on Thursday is just wrong. People who work retail deserve a break and time to be thankful too.
ReplyDeleteBeth, you are not a "sinner" but rather a saint who occasionaly sins. Being saved makes you a saint; not perfect, but a saint none the less. Enjoy your Thanksgiving day with family; we may not have them as long as we would like. The "stuff" will still be there another day. Love your attitude.
ReplyDelete