Braving Black Friday

I've come to realize that people have very strong opinions about shopping on Black Friday. Me? I don't really care about it either way. Sure, there are things on sale and a few killer deals out there but chances are, I am not looking for any of that stuff. Plus, most of the items will continue to be on sale until the end of the Christmas holiday.

On the way home from Nana's house I thought I'd cruise by a few stores, just to see what it was like. Jared is a sweetheart and offered to go to Toys R Us with me Thursday night. He was worried about me being out late by myself. The line was insane! I mean, wrapped around the building and the whole nine yards. Lines longer that those at Disneyland. No thanks! Plus it was cold and I am a wimp when it comes to cold. I didn't need or want anything that bad.

I slept toasty warm in my bed then heading to KMart Friday morning about 6am. Unfortunately I have aquired the "early riser" trait form my mom. So I wandered the store and found a few things that I had been looking at. The store wasn't busy at all. I had zero waiting in line to check out.

My oldest brother, Jimmy, called to let me know a particular item I had been looking for was at the Target in Escondido. They grabbed one for me and I went down there. I was shocked at how empty the store was. I thought it would be crazy. I walked around for a bit and checked off more items from my list. It felt like a normal shopping day at Target. The shopping center also had a Toys R Us. I was a little more nervous to go in there. People can be down right nasty when it comes to toys.

Much to my surprise, the store wasn't busy. Similar to the crowd at Target. I walked around and found everything I wanted. People helped me get things down that were too high for me, I helped someone pick up a display they knocked over. A few of us joked around about this and that. It was actually... fun. I know I won't get this lucky every year but I am happy with how this year turned out. It is really the first Black Friday I've ever tackled. I may or may not do it again next year.

I think a big part of it was my attitude. I didn't have to get anything or everything. I didn't have to spend hours upon hours looked for the one special item. I had a "well, let's see what happens" attitude. I have a lot of fun Christmas shopping. I know Christmas is not about the gifts but it is one small , fun, part of it. What really made my day great was being extra nice to those working at the stores and thanking them for their help and working on such a crazy day. I can only imagine the mean things people said to them at the wee hours of the morning.

With all that said, shopping is fun but I definitely don't want to miss out on the true meaning of the holiday: The Birth of our Savior, time with family, time to give, time with our friends, cherishing sweet moments. Every moment.