Count me out!

Who are the people who line up outside of stores at 5 in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving?

Are the prices really that good that they need to deprive themselves of sleep in order to be first in line?

Do their children really need another plastic toy, another video game, another electronic device, doll, or doo-dad that badly?

Is there anything for sale anywhere in this country that I would consider lining up to purchase at 5 am? At the moment, nothing comes to mind. Nothing at all.

Why do we allow ourselves to be so duped by the sellers of unnecessary stuff that we humiliate ourselves this way? No wonder there is a record number of foreclosures in this country, family-busting debt, and despair about the state of our personal economic situations; we refuse to stop spending. We refuse to "just say no" to all the fear about not having the latest and greatest of whatever is out there to be had. We want the most stuff for the least bucks - and end up with poisonous, faulty, cheap junk that our children want to throw away within days and that our importers and manufacturers want to recall within months.

Count me out.

Truthfully, I have never joined in that early morning frenzy on "Black Friday." And this year will be no exception to that tradition. (Oh yeah - Why does it have that name?)

Would anyone care to join me for an internet/long-distance tea party on Friday morning at 10 am, EST? Tea and some leftover pie from Thanksgiving. We can sit in our favorite place in our houses, sip, snack, and smile about the joy of being at home while so many others go crazy out in the stores. Together we can celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

Anybody at all?

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
There is so very much to be grateful for.