Turkey Thursday and Black Friday
…This is my last column before Thanksgiving arrives, so I want to take a moment to wish everyone a safe and happy Turkey Day, which is my second favorite holiday of the year (after Halloween, of course) because of the three cherished F’s: Family, Football and Feast.
I always look forward to Thanksgiving because it always reminds me that I have a lot to be thankful for. I am fortunate for the many blessings in my life – my wife, my son, my family, my friends, my health. In particular, I am especially grateful for my parents for teaching me valuable life lessons while I was growing up that helped me become the person I am today, and I am extremely thankful for the love and kindness that my wife has given me over the years, especially when I feel I have not given enough in return.
And as far as our son is concerned, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for blessing us with Bryson, especially considering how long it took for us to finally have him and how much joy he has already brought our family.
One thing that I always love about Thanskgiving is that it is supposed to be a nice and relaxing time but it almost always ends up being a chaotic holiday. I always joke that I love the many Thanksgiving “traditions” that seem to impact the holiday. See if you can identify with any of the following:
n A relative always comments on the fact that you’ve put on a few pounds since they last saw you;
n At least one child blurts out something wildly inappropriate at the dinner table, prompting sudden bursts of shocked laughter;
n Someone at the table accidentally spills food or beverage at the table or on the floor, causing a momentary state of panic;
n An argument briefly breaks out between family members over politics, current events or sports teams;
n One of the kids is playing with a bat or club and some unlucky guy accidentally gets hit in the privates;
n And my favorite tradition of all, when the day comes to an end everyone agrees that it was another wonderful holiday and we can’t wait to get together again for Christmas.
And one more thing I’m going to love about this year’s Turkey Day is that my beloved Washington Redskins are going to take on their arch-enemies, the Dallas Cowboys, on that day. Since I was a wee little kid, my brother has always loved the Cowboys, so when they play each other and I get the opportunity to watch the game with him, it’s always a plus. Can’t wait – Go ‘Skins!
I sincerely encourage all of our readers to also take the holiday season to be thankful for the blessings in their lives.
Happy Thanksgiving…
…I also enjoy Turkey Day because another of my favorite days of the whole year comes during Thanksgiving and the day after the holiday is over, and this day is bigger and more exciting than all of the holidays combined. Yes, I’m talking about Black Friday.
For those of you who don’t know about this phenomenon, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving where consumers get up at the crack of dawn and – armed with shopping carts, flyers and caffeine-fueled adrenaline – forget all about the holiday spirit and find themselves in a consumer-crazed frenzy.
I confess that I am a Black Friday shop-aholic. Each year, my wife and I brave the cold weather and the crazy crowds to do our Christmas shopping, all for the single goal of taking advantage of some truly big savings. But unfortunately, we’ve also seen our share of Black Friday incidents over the years that would give young children nightmares: Fistfights in parking lots, people stealing sale items out of other shoppers’ carts…one time, we watched in horror as a determined shopper struck and injured an elderly woman with her cart, and never bothered to stop or apologize. It’s always amazing to see this dark side of humanity.
(Go out just one time to experience this phenomenon, and I guarantee you’ll understand the REAL reason why they call it “Black Friday.” But don’t say you weren’t warned.)
Honestly, it never ceases to shock me when I see some of the shenanigans and antics of those seemingly normal people who turn into bloodthirsty savages in search of a sale, just hours after celebrating a Day of Thanks.
And you know what? I must be a savage too, because I find the whole affair to be rather exciting, especially when I am victorious in my quest to snag the hottest holiday items for sale. By my count, I haven’t had a Black Friday yet that I didn’t get what I set out to buy. And now that I know what I’m going after this year, I intend to keep my undefeated streak alive.
So if you are one of the brave ones who are daring enough to venture out early morning on Black Friday next week for a little shopping, I wish you the best of luck and I hope you make it home in one piece…just as long as you’re not in the same line as me as I attempt to get my ultimate Christmas gift…
…One last quick note: I want to commend those who attended any Veterans Day services and/or parades, and I want to give two big “Thumbs Up” to the many veterans, civilians, businesses, organizations and schools who organized and/or participated in any services or events held to honor those who have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. You should be proud of yourselves. Many veterans who attended the services told me on several different occasions that they were very appreciative of the respect that they were shown.
For example, kudos to the faculty and students at Waynesburg Central Elementary School, who did such a nice job of honoring the veterans with a special program. The program was very well attended and filled those in attendance with a great sense of patriotism and pride.
To those men and women who have served or are serving in the United States military, I simply have two words for you: “Thank you.”
As for those who were physically able to attend any of the Veterans Day services but instead chose to sleep in, stay home, play golf, or wash their car, we simply have three words for you: “Shame on you”…