Good Morning Holiday Shopper!

It was 4:00 am, I quietly opened the door as to not wake up any of the men in the house. I just needed to wake up my sister. I tapped her on the shoulder, "Good Morning Holiday Shopper! It's time to go!"

This was the beginning of our tradition over 10 years ago. I have always been one to stay away from "Black Friday" shopping, but my sister and I decided to approach it a different way. It was our day to spend together. Just the two of us. We had our lists, though they didn't include the "doorbuster" deals. We had a place picked out for lunch and most importantly we had a day to spend together.

We generally leave from my house and drive to Klamath Falls, aiming to get there at 6:00 am. This requires a 4:00 am departure time and a lot of coffee. We have varied our plan a time or two, including Chico and Redding. Yesterday, we really deviated and took the girls too.

We are way too late now, since many stores start at midnight! Oh well, at least by the time we arrive at 6:00 am...most of the crowds are gone. I used to think a 6:00 am open time was crazy, then it went to 5:00, then 4:00, then 3:00...now Midnight! I will leave those hours to the "doorbuster" seekers!

We have experienced a flat tire just as we pulled into Klamath, luckily near the store's tire shop. We have driven through an unexpected snow storm in a 2-wheel drive car, we have (well, I have) gotten car sick through a winding canyon after drinking too much coffee and my sister has been a real good sport in staying awake in the car. (She always sleeps in the car!) We have always had a great time!

It is not really about the shopping, it is about the Holiday Spirit and the time spent together. We take the approach of trying to spread Holiday Cheer. We smile, converse with the check out cashiers and say excuse me in the aisles. It is hard for someone to be grumpy when you are being joyful!

A friend posted this on Facebook last night, 

"The news is filled with stories from violence from Black Friday. Wasn't Thanksgiving yesterday, you know the day where everyone is thankful for what they have? And 24 hours later, we fight to get more...oh, boy!"

Black Friday is a crazy day for many, but for my sister and I, it is a day we look forward to, not for the bargains, but for the memories. People think we are crazy when we say we are going shopping, but when we explain...I think they get it!