The day I considered forgoing Black Friday..

I'm not quite sure what took grip of me the day this thought fluttered through my mind. Maybe it was too much joy flowing through my veins, or the song that played on the radio. It came abruptly and stayed a while. 

It should go down as a day in history; The day I decided I may not shop on Black Friday. There wasn't a reason for it which startled me. I mean where else can you get towels for $1.98.....  Now I've always been a bit of a bargain hunter from coupons to refusing to buy something I think will be on sale In a few weeks. Maybe it was flashbacks from previous years of 40 year old women swan diving and elbowing into the comforters and sheets marked 30% off. Maybe it was the dollar signs.. Maybe It was the lack of sleep and shopping so much that you forget what you bought and everything starts to look the same. That is after all what this day is about right. Or maybe it was just simply because I've seen everything it has to offer... I mean year after year....$4 flannel pajamas that get fuzz the first time you wash them, $2.00 towels, oodles of electronics to keep up with the fads.. $3 movies that are usually a whopping $5. It's always the same stuff... Grabbing meaningless gifts for a deal.. 

This year something in me wanted gifts to have purpose. Meaning, something someone loves or uses. It all started with blankets...

Yep blankets. I made each child a blanket this year. It was a fleece one I sewed the edges together so precisely. I seam ripped at mistakes. I sang Christmas tunes while I sewed. I got excited over giving the blankets to them. They weren't something I elbowed my way to, they weren't plastic and commercial. They weren't lined with the defeat of others as I got there first. As corny as it sounds they were stitched with love as I pondered the holidays.. How my children would slobber and sleep warmly wrapped in their blankets that I personally put together. As much as I would love to make every gift this season homemade I have already purchased my little ones their commercial items their electronics and toys themed of their favorite characters. 

I always go to Black Friday. I always go to add more meaningless items on their piles of stuff I started out listing as their main presents. I always think I need new towels or extra items... But you know what I don't think I need that this year... I think the Grinch has taught me a valuable lesson this year. Enjoy family, make something with your children, sit down and handwrite Christmas cards. Ponder the fact that less is truly more. Enjoy that. Enjoy your day of thankfulness. I'm not saying don't go to Black Friday this is just where my heart is this year. And at this moment... My husband can tell you that changes like the weather in Oklahoma. Just remember life. Remember truly the meaning behind the season. Remember whatever your gift whether it be stitched together from a folding table in your dining room or snatched and thrown in a basket in a rush of adrenaline,.....giving is not about the gift but rather what the gift represents. 

                                      

Sincerely, 

The modest mom