What is it about Black Friday that gets everyone up and shopping? I know it has some of the best sales in the country, but are we really that much of a consumer culture? I've been dragged shopping on Black Friday with a friend of mine and the sales may have been good, but the crowds were horrible. I didn't really see the point.
Shopping on Black Friday also isn't great for the world around us. Think of all the fumes expelled from vehicles as shoppers race from store to store. Think of all those pollutants! Then there's all the extra electricity use so stores can be open longer hours, earlier in the morning and later at night, if not all night. All of that energy adds up. What about all the people who eat out rather than eating a nice home-cooked meal because they're already out and it's convenient? All in all, it's not the greatest concept for the world around us.
This year instead of hitting up the Black Friday sales, I'm looking for alternatives. I've already decided many of my gifts this year have to be hand-made. I guess a Black Friday sale at the yarn shop would be quite dangerous for my budget, but that's about it.
Making gifts has a seriously positive impact on the world around us. Not only are the gifts made from the heart, and therefore have personal value, they're also higher quality than many store-bought items. These items frequently come at a lower cost and require less energy to make. Aside from making the materials themselves, the only energy expended is that of making it yourself, which leaves a much smaller impact on the environment. After all, at most you'll eat more. Hand-made gifts require more thought, since you're not going to spend all that time to make something the recipient will hate. They're also generally more useful than many store-bought items. Hand-made items come in such a variety too that there's always something for everyone.
This year while everyone else is running around doing their Black Friday sale shopping, I'm going to be taking some time to truly enjoy the start of the holiday season, kicking back and spending some time with my family. Yes, I might miss the sales that so many other shoppers are hitting, but at least I'll know I can spend some quality time with my family and my room mates, possibly even making up some Christmas gifts while we're at it. I think that's more than worth it.
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