Hyped Up

"Black Friday" ads were everywhere, extolling sales and urging shoppers to get out there and spend, spend, spend!  It would have been a black day, indeed, if I had been forced to join the hordes in line at cash registers across the land.  Shopping is punishment enough on any given day, but when people have been organized to the point that some stores banned overnight tents for the early birds, it would border on torture.  There is nothing on God's green earth that I would need so badly that I would ever, ever get out there among 'em on Black Friday.  I don't even do well with gift cards.  Years ago, when gift certificates had expiration dates, I was given a card good for five years to a major department store.  It took me four years, three-hundred fifty-four days to work up the courage to go shopping and, even then, took my daughter along for moral courage.  We wandered up and down aisles, up and down stairs, and it took me all day to decide on a purchase.  The certificate was good for all of twenty-five dollars.

I am excited about next weekend when the Kids will come up.  I'm past the trauma of grocery shopping, and am starting to get the house spiffed up.  I'll be hauling holiday decorations out of the shed, including those two Christmas trees I bought last January (five dollars each!).  There have been times when I've been pretty blah about the holiday season but am feeling enthusiastic this year, looking forward to all the hoopla and traditions.  Three of the family birthdays fall close to our chosen dates for get-togethers, all the more reason to celebrate!  That's something to get hyped up about.