I know it’s “cool to hate it” these days, but I love holiday shopping. Well, let me rephrase that: Shopping for people is incredibly difficult and nerve-racking, but I like browsing endless items and mentally picturing them fitting into my life.
I know. I’m weird like that.
A couple of weeks ago, people were tightly wrapped up in Black Friday. Not shopping at stores during Black Friday mind you, but having this holier than thou attitude about skipping it. There’s nothing more annoying that being that friend that coolly explains they just “shop online” to beat the crowds as if they invented it. It’s probably the same friend of yours that leaves a ballgame in the start of the third quarter to “beat the traffic.”
Truthfully, this is the first year that I purchased the majority of my gifts via mobile phone. While I understand it’s completely easier, there was something about walking around in stores and buying shiny new items in the cold that was oddly appealing. Growing out of mall Santa Clauses at a young age, the true symbol of the commerce of Christmas was coming home with a giant plastic bag adorned with Toys R’ Us logos on it, or a large X-mas tree. That kind of gets lost when St. Nick looks more and more like the UPS Guy.
I’ve done Black Friday exactly once in my life. I was away at college in Florida and I spent the Thanksgiving Holiday in my dorm watching James Bond reruns on SpikeTV. I went Black Friday shopping for the fun of it; it was just something to do. I get why it isn’t the greatest thing in the world due to the fact I’ve had my personal space violated more times than I care to mention, but at the same time do we do anything as a society anymore? I mean I guess there’s sports.
But let’s leave early to beat the traffic.
Flobo Boyce 