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Post by newsy1 on Nov 9, 2014 12:46:03 GMT -5
I have no idea if Black Friday is just an unofficial "holiday" of madness only in the U.S. It is the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. when some consumers forget manners, consideration for others and generally act like barbarians. It is my latest topic on my blog. My blog has been around since 2009, I used to do it weekly then I lost a little steam and don't do it as frequently as I used to. newsy1blog.com/ |
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Post by lindymoone on Nov 9, 2014 13:54:38 GMT -5
Nice post -- and the Wonder Bag one as well. I had never heard of it... Sounds like a great way to help the environment and people in need.
Re Black Friday: Before we moved overseas, we had long been out of love with the mad materializm of the Holidays, and made it a point never to shop on Black Friday. After the move, if there was one thing that was good about living so far from family, it was that because we were separated by an ocean -- and untrustworthy custom officials -- it put an end to running gift-grabbing gauntlets. Now we only give each other gifts when we see each other in person.
(Except books!)
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Post by newsy1 on Nov 9, 2014 17:30:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the compliment. I love the idea of only giving gifts to people you see in person.
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Post by Becca Mills on Nov 9, 2014 17:51:19 GMT -5
Nice post! Gotta say, the last thing I want to do around Thanksgiving is go shopping. Then again, I'm not a shopping fan. Amazon is a dream come true for me.  |
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Post by Pru Freda on Nov 10, 2014 1:17:14 GMT -5
Thanks for that post, newsy1. As a Brit, I've always wondered where the phrase came from, but then I don't really understand why the US is so insistent on referring to Christmas as "the holidays". I know that Thanksgiving is a holiday - don't you have others? Easter, for example. I think we could both do with more holidays. We could celebrate Wonderful Wednesday - which would occur in every month that had an 'R' in it - on this side of the pond, while you could have Terrific Tuesday - every even-numbered month except December - Stateside. And writing would be obligatory on all of them!  Either way, I hope my US friends will all enjoy their Thanksgiving later this month - although lindymoone had better stay well away. After all, she's in Turkey! |
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Post by newsy1 on Nov 10, 2014 10:36:44 GMT -5
Most used to refer to Christmas as, well Christmas. Then everyone became "politically correct" because many people didn't like the connotation of it being a religious holiday and started complaining about the "Christ" aspect of it. It was a big deal here with lawsuits etc. by non-religious groups.
Thanks everyone for commenting so nicely about my post.
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Post by Becca Mills on Nov 10, 2014 11:51:00 GMT -5
Thanks for that post, newsy1. As a Brit, I've always wondered where the phrase came from, but then I don't really understand why the US is so insistent on referring to Christmas as "the holidays". I know that Thanksgiving is a holiday - don't you have others? Easter, for example. It's a collective term meant to cover a bunch of different holidays that all occur around the end of the year: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and sometimes Eid al-Adha. Probably others that aren't coming to mind. The idea is to make sure that religious minorities feel included in the celebratory spirit that grips the nation around this time ... so, a sign of the religiously diverse culture we have over here. It guess it's mostly a matter of courtesy, but it's also pragmatic: if you feel included, you're probably more likely to get out there and spend money. |
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Post by Daniel on Nov 10, 2014 12:22:51 GMT -5
I always thought of "the holiday season" or "the holidays" to mean Thanksgiving + Christmas (or your winter solstice celebration of choice) + New Years. We have several other holidays, but these are the big ones that generate the most commercialism, gluttony, drunkenness and general irresponsibility (i.e. "fun").
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Post by Pru Freda on Nov 11, 2014 0:54:08 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, folks, and for taking the time to explain things to me.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 10:01:59 GMT -5
My daughter won't be home for Thanksgiving this year, but when she is we enjoy Black Friday shopping together. It's one of our mother/daughter things, and we love it.  The images that you see on TV of people knocking each other down to get to a deal is NOT what happens EVERYWHERE. The media wants people to think that, but that's not the case. At the stores where my daughter and I shop, everyone is respectful. Yes, there are long lines, but we wear comfortable shoes. I usually buy jewelry on Black Friday. Last year I bought a $350 ruby necklace for 60 bucks. One of my best Black Friday finds was when my daughter and I were Black Friday shopping in Cambridge, Mass where my dad lives. I found a $95 dress for 5 bucks. Yes, I like clothes. Yes, I like jewelry. Yes, I like shoes. Yes, I like to shop. And no, that's not going to change.  |
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