Black Friday :: A Tradition

When people hear the words BLACK FRIDAY, I am sure they think of crazy crowds, crazy deals and early morning waits in a shopping line. When I hear Black Friday, my thoughts go to some wonderful women in my life. You see, for the last four years, my mother-in-law has made it a tradition for all the girls to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. 

I have to admit it, the first year our family was experiencing financial struggles and I did not want to go because I didn’t have any money to spend and I felt it wouldn’t be a fun time. Boy was I wrong! I got to spend some time with my sister-in-law, Twila and my husband’s step sister Lacey. Turns out Lacey and I have a lot in common, too. We both don’t like long shopping lines but go along with Black Friday shopping to experience family time without the craziness of kids and husbands in tow. 

Our Black Friday tradition begins around 6am with some Starbucks coffee, immediately followed by our trip to the mall where we go to stores that we had scooped out in the newspaper ads. The main stores that we hit up at the mall are JCPenny and Bath & Body Works {those candle deals are amazing}! Sometime amidst the fun, we ask a store associate to snap our annual photo. We then grab some lunch {because girls gotta eat, right?!} and hit some stores that are not located at the mall. We love Target, and this is where I usually stock up on our family Christmas gifts for the kids. Quick tip, in our family we do four gifts per child: 1) something they need 2) something to wear 3) something to read 4) something they want. This keeps us accountable for our spending and doesn’t overload us or our bank account. 

Another store we hit up is World Market. My sister-in-law Twila loves this store so much. She loads up on a ton of food {she loves to cook}. My other sister-in-law Jennifer loves Ulta. She is a huge make-up geek {I say that nicely and with love}. I have only gone shopping with my stepsister-in-law once, and I honestly don’t know what her favorite is. I’d have to say maybe a workout store, but I could be wrong. My mother-in-law, Tina, has a preference, but I am not 100% sure what that is. She just LOVES the fact that all her girls are with her. 

It has been about three years since we all were together for Thanksgiving/Black Friday, and I am excited to see everyone and, once again, fellowship and love on my family. I know that the holidays mean a lot of different things for a lot of people. Might I encourage you to look beyond the flaws, the annoyances, the grudges and just BE with your families this year. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, so make the time with your loved ones count. I probably won’t see my in-laws again for another 9+ months, so my time with them is precious. Something I treasure in my heart always.

Do you have any Black Friday traditions you’d like to share with us? Comment below. 

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