The day after Thanksgiving may be one of my favorite days of the year.
Yes, Black Friday is the best day ever. My mother, sister, and I have traditions we look forward to all year.
To be clear, we do NOT wake up at the crack of dawn to wait in line in the cold. If that’s your thing, rock on, but that is absolutely not our jam.
Each year, after breakfasts of cold, salted turkey, we head down to Woodfield Mall to shop. Yes, we have to drive around a while to find a parking spot. The distance from the car to the Mall entrance is only amplified by our habit of leaving our coats in the car (so we don’t have to carry them) and dashing wily-nily inside. Once out of the cold, we generally reminisce about the time it started snowing while we were shopping and we had to trudge back to the car in shirt-sleeves (much to the amusement of fellow shoppers).
Unsurprisingly, the Mall is quite crowded. When deciding whether to try potential purchases on, the line for the changing rooms helps determine how badly you want the item in question. Sales are quite good, however, and we have all day to wait.
Post-shopping, there’s always dinner – generally at P.F. Chang’s as it’s right there in the Mall. Then, if there’s anything good playing, a movie.
I’m not sure I’ve ever completed my Christmas shopping on Black Friday. In fact, it’s unlikely I’ve even started it. That’s not the point. For us, it’s about being together at the (proper) start of the holiday season and just being out among all the crazy hullabaloo. I can’t imagine the day after Thanksgiving unfolding in any other manner.