You often hear about Black Friday this time of year.  In making the many preparations for Thanksgiving every year, invariably the term Black Friday comes to mind. Among the lists made for food items and decorations needed for the day of celebration, most women and, surprisingly even some men, make well laid plans for the shopping frenzy that will occur the day after Thanksgiving.

I have to wonder about the unbelievable amounts of money that are spent on Black Friday. How much of what is spent is really and truly needed? How many kind acts or just simply, time spent with potential gift recipients are being replaced with a hastily purchased item that enables us to mark off another item on our list? How many times have we forked over money that we really didn’t have on some extravagant gift when a much simpler one would have spoken our feelings just as well?

 

I'd love to be optimistic about the future of our economy, but I’m not only weighing the spending for now, but I’m worried about the future. That dollar spent today, may be needed next month to pay the light bill. Although, I live in DeSoto (MO) my guess is many are feeling the pinch, and questioning the wisdom of the whipped up frenzy of Black Friday.

 

Maybe, because we have to tighten our belts, we will rediscover the real meaning of the Christmas Season. A day that represents the birth of a Savior, Christ, come to this earth as a tiny baby, robed in flesh, to redeem the souls of mankind. A day celebrating hope of escaping sin and death. A season, I think, that has too long been overshadowed by material things, things that do not feed our souls. We need love, joy and peace in order to feel alive. Christmas is a time for creating wonderful memories of times spent enjoying those we love and cherish.  Its an opportunity to reach out to complete strangers as well as those we know, giving of ourselves among the communities we live in.

 11.29.09 // 1800 // UTiliX-CO // arr

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And why just Black Friday? Are there other “black” days?

 

Black Friday was first attached to the state of Philadelphia in describing the heavy traffic that occurred on the day after Thanksgiving. Somewhere along the line, merchants and retailers began using the term to describe the one shopping day a year that bounced their retail sales figures out of the red and into the black. The day has evolved into something of a holiday in and of itself, being prepared for well in advance.

 

If we take a trip back in history we find that, yes, there were other “black” days of the week.

 

Black Monday, October 19, 1988 is known as the day stock markets crashed around the world and the Dow Jones dropped 508 points in a very short time.

 

Black Tuesday is linked to the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States which occurred in 1929.

 

Black Wednesday is a term attached to September 16, 1992 when the conservative government was forced to withdraw the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

 

Black Thursday relates to multiple events anywhere from a bush fire in Australia to a stock market crash in Moscow, to protest and political demonstrations along with some events connected with various different wars.

 

Black Saturday describes a stormy day in Scotland in 1621 that some thought was a sign of Armageddon, a few different Massacres, and a day when the Cuban Missile Crisis reached its height.

 

And, yes, there is even a Black Sunday which refers to a day of murder and mayhem recorded during the Irish War of Independence.

 

CYBER MONDAY - To make the Black days so bad, now we have CYBER MONDAY.  Meant for the period after Thanksgiving when the largest number of people are purchasing online with a decent shot of JIT delivery before Christmas.

Getting back to my main point, I feel Black Friday can be thought of primarily as a day of spending huge amounts of money in anticipation of the gift giving part of Christmas.  I think the most important thing is to acknowledge the birth of Jesus or at least take the opportunity to dream of ways to spread love and peace to those around you.

  11.28.09 / /1800 / / UTiliX-CO / / arr
     

                                                                          

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