...Which is why I'm posting this entry, which was originally meant for my other blog. You know, the one I write for the Nick School. However I wasn't completely happy with it, and ended up doing a complete rewrite (which you can see on the Nick School blog site, hopefully within the next few days). But I also have this disease where I don't like to just scrap anything that I write, so you (my faithful blog readers) will be subjected to my "From the Trenches" blog rejects. Enjoy!
Black Friday – The Most Sinister Day of the Year
If we were to arrange a face-off between Black Friday and Boxing Day, the two most violent-sounding shopping days in North America… who would win?
Now, for all you people who are scratching your heads, wondering “what is Boxing Day?”, let me explain. Boxing Day is our backwards Canadian version of Black Friday, which is celebrated the day after Christmas by most of the British Commonwealth. Opposite to Black Friday, which traditionally marks the opening of the Christmas shopping season in the U.S., December 26th (and usually the full week after) marks the time when Canadians can gather all their gift cards and money from relatives, take stock of what is under the tree, then go out and buy what they really wanted. Reindeer sweaters and pink fuzzy socks get pushed into a corner until the time they can be returned, or maybe passed on to the homeless man on the street who probably doesn’t care that they are “soooo last year…”
Truthfully, the idea of these mass-sale “holidays” has never appealed to me. The sinister names themselves are enough to turn me off, conjuring images of black-eyes and boxing-gloved sale seekers. And then there are the line-ups and the unfriendly crowds… and the environmentalist in me doesn’t even want to think of all the extra waste we’re creating. All those plastic shopping bags, and receipts, and gift boxes… not to mention all the extra heat released into the atmosphere by all those shoppers burning up their credit cards. *Shudder*
The part that I find most disheartening, though, is how selfish these “holidays” have become. Historically, Boxing Day was celebrated as far back as the Middle Ages as a day to give a little something to the less fortunate. The term itself comes from the boxes of food and clothes that would be distributed to the poor of the communities, or the box of tips that would be split amongst hardworking vendors, or the “Christmas Box” or bonus that employers would give to their overworked employees. Yet somehow, this “holiday” has turned into an opportunity for people to get the best deals on junk they don’t actually need. When did everything become so commercial?
Now, I’m not trying to be preachy. I know all about excess (and anybody who’s seen my closet can confirm that fact). All I’m saying is, while you’re out in the crowds, your blood racing at the prospect of how much money you’re saving, take a second to stop and think. Do you really need that V-neck sweater in three colours? Is it necessary or practical to get a second iPod (even if it does match your new “so cute!” red jacket)? And, seriously, are you ever going to wear those blue hounds-tooth knee-high boots?
Maybe, just maybe, your money would be worth saving until something you actually want comes along. Maybe that $50 from Aunt Ida could be put to better use than buying yet another Rockband game (which, admit it, you haven’t had time to play much of anyway…) Maybe it could buy some food and warm clothes for the less fortunate instead. Maybe the homeless man on the corner (yes, the one you gave that hideous reindeer sweater to) could have a warm meal this Christmas. Maybe the girl you passed by on the street with the emaciated puppy could use a coffee and a bag of dog food. Maybe you can help someone who actually needs it. And maybe you’ll even feel good about it.
Just maybe…
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