Friday Follow Up: BLUE Friday?

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, is referred to as "Black Friday", as most of you undoubtedly know. I find the whole concept to be rather disheartening, I am even toying with calling it Blue Friday, as I do find it somewhat sad — particularly this year — because stores from coast to coast, across the entire United States, opened at 9:00 PM on Thanksgiving night, to get a jump on Black Friday, when stores usually open at 4:00 AM or thereabouts.

I heard over the radio that some people felt they had to cut the time short that they would "normally" be munching on leftovers with family and friends on Thanksgiving night in order to take advantage of the bargains. Seems like an oxymoron to me: cutting short time on a day dedicated to spending time with family and friends, to race to the store to buy gifts for them when Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa are still a few weeks away. What happened to living in the moment?

Moreover, the news reported that a young woman in California pepper-sprayed people, so that she could get to the bargain tables — now that's the Thanksgiving spirit if I ever saw one: the United States of America sets aside a twenty-four hour day — once a year —  to give thanks, and now it is reduced to less than twelve hours by luring people to shop. 

Since I am struggling to get my small business off the ground, I suppose I should take advantage of the hoopla and promote what I am doing, but I am someone who subscribes to the day-of-R&R theory, or at the very minimum, the day-of-recharge-the-ol'-batteries theory, but most of all, I subscribe to setting aside time to be with those near (and even not so dear to you), to you; whether they are your "immediate family" or are your friends whom you have made your family.

Before I become preachy or maudlin, this is a good place to end, but not without giving credit to the comic strips included in this post, which, if you have been following my blog, you surely recognize as being from Mutts, a comic strip I have referred to in a number of previous blog entries which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here and here.