I Survived Black Friday!

I guess there are T-shirts you can buy with "I Survived Black Friday" on them. I gotta get me one of those.

When I was a kid I loved Christmas. I used to make up a 'count-down' calendar with the number of days til Christmas on it and cross each day off before I went to bed. It wasn't because of the gifts...we weren't exactly well-off so that wasn't that big of a deal. I remember we'd try to stay up all night Christmas Eve playing Old Maid in the attic. But I don't remember if I ever made it through the entire night. I've always loved the beautiful lights and decorations, the music of the season, always hoped for snow (Christmas day especially) and the highlight of the season was watching 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' on CBS. (I still do that.) But, I think the thing I looked forward to the most was...NO SCHOOL!!!

When I became a mother the best part of Christmas was watching my son open his gifts. One year I started shopping in September as soon as school started. That way I could get the gifts wrapped and hidden while Danny was at school. But I was too excited and I ended up giving him several of his gifts early. Then I had to get more so he'd have some to open on Christmas morning. :o)

My love of the holidays changed when I started working retail in '97. For the first time in my life I had to work Thanksgiving day. Didn't understand that...who the heck shops on Thanksgiving? Well, it turns out, a LOT of people. For the first time in my life I saw the 'real' nature of humans...and it wasn't good. I found myself literally surrounded by people who just HAD to HAVE 10 strings of icicle lights for $1.50/box. Or the collapsible 5' lighted-rope tree for $9.00. Once the mad rush was over I actually sat down on one of our step ladders and cried like a baby.

The following year I didn't even put up a tree and for each year after, until I quit the hellhole in '02, my home was Christmas tree free. Since returning in '04 I've put up a small tree that I keep decorated all year, wrapped in a huge plastic bag. But this year there's no room for it since Dan has returned home and all his stuff is taking up space.

I really hate this time of year and I dread it the rest of the year. I actually had several nightmares this past weekend that woke me right up. I loathe those 4 - 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas because they ARE a nightmare. A real nightmare. It's even worse now that I'm old and have to be at work by 3AM so people who have nothing better to do can get some socks at half-off.

Madness!

This past Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I arrived at the hellhole at 3AM. Our doorbuster sales didn't start until 6AM but the store was still crowded because people come in during the wee hours of the night, grab what they want, then just wait until 6:00 to checkout. We were 'out of stock' before the sale signs were even put up! I saw a long-time acquittance shopping and it was all I could do to not tell her "Shame on you!"

All day long I had to tell people we were out of the $20.00 Caterpillar jackets. This made some people very angry. I guess they haven't yet grasped the concept that in order to get the deals you have to get there long before the sale starts.

I did get to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Babcocks. Unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me and I got sick. :o(

Black Friday morning I got there again at 3AM only to find people 'camped out' in the shoe dept on lawn chairs and lying on the (filthy) carpeted floor. They and their shopping carts were all over the place and I had work to do. Managements' brilliant idea of having us come in at that ungodly hour so we could get the stock out before the crowd shows up had backfired. Just like I said it would. Kids were running around like wild animals and I gave them my best "stop or I'll beat you bloody" look.

*sigh*

After 4 straight days of doorbuster deals I am exhausted and already sick of Christmas. Only 4 more weeks to go.

Ho - ho - ho!