For those of you who may be wondering what on earth I've been doing with myself... I've been busier than a bee.
I blame the Puritans.
If the Puritans hadn't hopped across the pond when they did, they wouldn't have had such a romantic (if fatal) experience upon arriving in the New World. Which means they wouldn't have been so dependent on the Native Americans to save them from starvation. And had the Native Americans NOT successfully saved them from Pilgrim Extinction, they never would have gotten together for a meal of thanksgiving.
And had there been no thanksgiving way back when, President Lincoln would not have had the wits to think it up for a new national holiday (since he was kind of busy with a little thing called the Civil War at the time).This is really where things get dicey - once you go down the path of excess, there's no turning back.
Because Thanksgiving as a national holiday is really no longer just a meal where we all stuff ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie. It has become a mere prelude - a sort of opening act, if you will, to the MAIN attraction....
Black Friday.
Black Friday makes the excess of Thanksgiving look downright stingy. Black Friday, to those who do not live in the USA, is a display of spending decadence unparalleled at any other day of the year. I, for one, frown on it and refuse to participate on grounds of principle. It irks me to no end that our day of thanksgiving has become totally buried beneath the rampant materialism that comes the next day. Only now we don't even have to wait until the next day! This year they finally robbed Thanksgiving of its last shred of dignity by opening stores that very afternoon. Laying on the couch in a stupor while watching the game on the Idiot Box is officially on the List of Endangered Rituals.
And I doubt the Native Americans can bail us out this time.
And if there was no Black Friday, my mother (who I'd invited to town for Thanskgiving) would not have wanted to go shopping. But, being infected with Black Friday Fever long ago, the poor woman is powerless to stop herself. (It's a little like Zombies of the 21st Century - not a whole lot you can do about it, really, except avoid eye contact and don't make any sudden moves toward her charge card.) And since she is not familiar with Indianapolis, she needed her daughter to drive her out into this mayhem.
(I would be the daughter she was eyeballing as Daughter #2 sensibly stayed in Evansville.)
So I drove out into the hellish traffic and faced all the maniacs.
I felt a little bit like a vegetarian eating a cheese sandwich. Not quite sinning, really, but certainly approaching a line....
Stay tuned for the rest of the story!
Wow Deborah! What a crazy time you have had, and the weather is awful too.
I just thoroughly enjoyed reading your post, I was laughing, (was it meant to be funny?) Ha.
Thank you for explaining Black Friday, I did wonder when all the blogs went crazy about it.
I guessed it was an American thing.
Well have you caught your breath yet, hope so Christmas is just about upon us, and you need to enjoy the time, as it does not come around often.
Things will settle down.
Smiles:)
Posted by: Susan Butler | December 15, 2010 at 06:48 PM
you have me hooked...can't wait to hear the rest of the story. by the way, i also boycott black Friday in particular and all Christmas shopping in general....we celebrate without all the hoopla.
bless you!
Posted by: NancyK | December 15, 2010 at 08:14 PM
Loved your story! I avoid the black friday shopping craziness also. Take care!
Posted by: Linda C. Baker | December 15, 2010 at 09:29 PM
can't wait to hear more Deborah. I was wondering how you survived as we hadn't hear from you for awhile. Hopefully a more peaceful Christmas????
Posted by: Dawn T | December 16, 2010 at 01:58 AM
Wondering where you've been, Deborah.. Want to hear more..
By the way, did I miss the December CCC?
Posted by: Dwita Siregar | December 16, 2010 at 08:39 AM