Black Friday Alternative

By Beth Gulley

I really love a good holiday—it takes people off the streets and puts them safely in the shopping malls.  I guess if we are talking about black Friday, “safely” is the wrong word.  There is nothing like getting up at 3:00 a.m. to be trampled to death for a Nintendo Wii.  In fact, if people would wait four more days they could shop peacefully on a Tuesday and nobody would bump into them, nor would they have to wait in line for hours at the checkout stand.  Even the name “Black Friday’ makes it seem like a way to celebrate the crucifixion rather than the birth of Christ.

On the other hand, some people will celebrate “Buy Nothing Day” on Black Friday.  While this is an interesting idea, I find it equally difficult to get behind.  Usually midway through the morning I find I need to rush out for a coffee or amble through a bookstore.  A few years ago my sister told me she and her best friend were giving each other the best present ever—the financial relief of not buying each other anything.  Again, I think I would miss giving gifts to my children this Christmas, so that leaves me chasing my tail.  My hope, this holiday season, is that I and the people I love will focus on the gift of God’s grace and find Joy in his love, instead of getting caught up in the extremes of buying or not buying stuff.

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Posted by Jeremy on Nov 26 2010. Filed under Beth Gulley, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry