Thankfully Reading Weekend
Black Friday
Today is Black Friday here in the USA, a media created frenzy that has turned the Friday after Thanksgiving into the busiest, craziest, shopping day of the year.
I can remember when the day after Thanksgiving was a pleasant shopping experience, a day to wander through the shops and malls, see the Christmas decorations and displays and ending with a stop at a favorite coffee shop or restaurant to recap the day. You have to be able to remember back to 1980s though to appreciate what it used to be like. Now with the rise of the big box stores and cut-throat pricing, those days are gone.
I know I’m not alone in my distaste for the loss of holiday spirit and the crass commercialism of what used to be a pleasant 4-day holiday weekend, but enough people are participating in the frenzy to keep the retailers happy and it appears to be here to stay. For the first time that I can recall, department stores opened on Thanksgiving Day. If people didn’t like it, they would stay away, but folks were lined up outside the doors hours before the stores opened. I have to wonder though, does this increase sales or just move them up a few days?
An Alternative to Shopping
If you’re not out shopping, or are in a different part of the world, head over to Jenn’s Bookshelves for some Thankfully Reading Weekend activities. The fun will be going on through Sunday with link-ups to other participants and mini-challenges. No rules, no pressure, just read!
For those of you braving the Black Friday crowds, stay safe! I’m staying home today and catching up on a little reading, write a few reviews, listen to some audio while I tidy up the kitchen from yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner and maybe do a little shopping online. Saturday I’ll be out birdwatching and walking off some of those Thanksgiving Day calories.
I’m halfway through the audiobook of Steve Jobs, my December bookclub pick. I’m almost finished with The Things That Matter by Nate Berkus and then I’ll be starting Giving Up the Ghost, a memoir, or The Prankster, a scifi send-up that sounds a bit bizarre, but I enjoy the unusual.
What are your weekend plans?
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Under My Apple Tree 
I hate the Black Friday phenomenon, too. I do have to do a little grocery shopping, but that’s it. Then I’m home to read and watch some more movies. Enjoy your weekend!
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Every store wants to be the first one to get your dollar. I was talking to my mom this morning and we said the sales are going to start on the day before Thanksgiving before you know it. It’s just too much. When did everyone decide they have to be the first person to own/do something?
I hope you get a lot of reading done!
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Have a great holiday readathon, Leslie! I think you’re right staying at home. I also really dislike busy shops and crowds out for the “great offers” – which usually means you spend money on things you don’t need. Even if there are things I do need I’m happy to pay full price if it means I can amble through the shops at my own pace and not have to look over a 3-deep crowd in order to actually see the wares on offer.
Anyway, I’m also reading! Enjoy your books. The SF sounds interesting. I am looking forward to your review, whenever you get round to it.
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We only head out to get an ornament. I hope you have a great time reading. I’m reading today, so unofficially participating.
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I’m not much of a Black Friday shopper, unless the sales are true sales and are online! Enjoy your weekend, Leslie! I look forward to reading your new reviews.
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I used to hit the sales with my mother-in-law, but last year it got kind of scary, so we gave up and went home. I didn’t bother this year. It was much more fun to relax with relatives and visit – very low key.
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