Black Friday...It's on!

One of my top 3 favorite days of the year is almost here...that's right people, Black Friday is two days away and counting!!  I am a bit of shop-a-holic.  I get a serious high from black Friday because it is the one day of the year where Dan does not have a heart attack when I go out and give the credit card a hefty workout.  In fact...when I get home with arm-fulls of shopping bags, he doesn't even as how much I spent (probably fear).  Ah...the freedom:-)

Black Friday is a long standing tradition for the women in my family.  When I was a little girl my grandmother would take my cousins, siblings, Aunt and I out shopping and we would each get to pick out our own Christmas present.  After we were done shopping my grandmother would treat us all to lunch.  I remember us kids begging my grandmother and Aunt to start the shopping later (we thought getting there at 8:00 was crazy).  These days my grandmother just gives everyone money (because she has 5 million grandchildren and great grandchildren) so she doesn't go anymore and over the years the Black Friday Shopping has dwindled to just my cousin and I (and my sister-in-law when she can)...but Denise and I are die-hards.  It's also funny that now we are begging my grandmother to come over earlier to watch the kids so that we can leave on our shopping expedition at 6:30.  Since we are such Black Friday experts, I will share with you some of the lessons we have learned over the years.

1.  You want to go early but not too early.  If you get there at 5:00 am you will be shopping with the crazies...you know those people that will push, shove and run over you for the last pair of 25 cent socks.  Not really fun anymore.

2.  Black Friday is not a day for looking cute.  If you chose to wear your cute boots, you will be sorry!  Two hours into the day you will feel like the balls of your feet have no more skin on them.  Which leads to buying new shoes to wear to finish out the shopping day (Denise and I have both learned this lesson though it did take us two years).

3.  Bring your ponytail holder!  You are going to want to have a ponytail holder handy at all times.  Shopping is hard work and sometimes it gets very hot.  Besides...you never know when you are going to have to wrestle someone over the last pair of 25 cent socks!

4.  Bring a friend.  Some of the lines are super long so it's a lot more fun if you have a friend with you that you can gossip with while waiting.

5.  Leave your coat in the car.  If you are carrying your coat around you have less hands to hold shopping bags and you are going to get too hot to wear that thing.

6. Be sure you stop for lunch. Shopping takes lots of energy so you must rest and refuel.  Besides...Black Friday people watching is some of the best!!!

I have a few more tricks up my sleeve but I'm afraid I cannot share them.  Black Friday shopping is a sport; therefore, it would be crazy to reveal all of our secrets:-)  Denise and I have spent our week stretching and carb-loading to prepare...it's on:-)

Me and my partner in crime (no this is not on Black Friday:-)