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So, another one has come and gone. The notorious shopping day after Thanksgiving when crowds stand in store lines, sometimes outside in the cold, at the crack of dawn, just to fight for great “deals,” their longed-for prizes: a new TV, the next best Apple product, or even just cheaper-than-normal stocking stuffers. No judgements. Yes, I’ve done it too. Years ago, my first Black Friday adventure, before the sun came up, was to look for a cheap electric tea kettle. A great deal, a must have. I had a habit of burning the bottoms of my stove top ones—it was time for another option.
After running through the department store to find the right table of stacked boxes, and picking up my “prize”, I turned the corner and saw a more beautiful, higher-end kettle and decided to buy that one instead. So, my goal of a good deal led me to a big deal that ended taking more money from my pocket. I’m not saying that it wasn’t a good purchase; I don’t regret it (I still use it daily). But, it would not have been a purchase if there had been no temptation: the original Black Friday kettle via advertisements promising the very best deal of all.
Historically, Black Friday came about from an idea to make a social event of shopping that also created a boom for businesses. It was a chance to get new customers in, slash prices and have a limited supply plan to increase demand. If you didn’t plan to buy the item, you were sure tempted to reconsider if you witnessed loads of people standing in line. Must be worth all the wait, huh? The idea caught on, and families and friends made Black Friday a new after-Thanksgiving tradition.
I must admit it was kind of fun to stand outside of Target with my teenage son (all the way at the back of the line) hoping that there were still some “deals” by the time we made it through the doors. An experience to talk about years later, for sure—yet, I forget why we went or what we left with.
As the years have gone by, online Black Friday sales have replaced the wild in-person festive fiasco of running through the aisles at The Mall. You can now sit in your PJs with your phone and order Christmas gifts for your sister’s family that can be wrapped and mailed for you. Never, ever, will I have to experience last minute Christmas Eve day shopping, again. They arrive on my doorstep just in time. And, if I miss Black Friday, there is always Cyber Monday. Wow.
Well, my sister’s gifts are on there way to Spokane and here I am left at home in the middle of the night with an empty feeling.
I remember when I shopped at my leisure with my parents and little sister (splitting up in twos to buy stuff for each other). We’d hand pick, wrap and mail extended family presents ourselves. I remember receiving mine in the mail wrapped with various paper prints taped unprofessionally (some, kinda wonky), with handwritten gift cards and bright bows. I even miss as an adult the years of standing in line at stores with my chosen Santa purchases, wondering if I would make it home in time to hide my bags and get the kids from school.
The other day, I slipped up and referred to the upcoming shopping day as “Good Friday” instead of “Black Friday”. Oops! I immediately caught myself and was filled with guilt. The two days are obviously very different. Yet, as I thought longer, Good Friday does have something to do with gifting and getting—the very best deal and ultimate “prize” of all. Yes, a bit of a stretch, but go along with me here.
Good Friday has to do with receiving the best gift ever—one that cannot be purchased at a discount or one that you have to stand in line in the wee hours of the night to receive. That day we all got the very best deal we could have ever received as sinful humans. In Christ’s sacrifice on the cross—His dying to conquer death—we received blessed forgiveness and eternal life. And we didn’t have to do a thing to get it. God gave it to us, despite how long our Santa’s naughty list was.
So, this Black Friday I indirectly remembered Good Friday; but I purposely remembered the promises and sacrifices made for me. And despite the charges on my credit card, and the regrets I have there, I feel less empty. I give thanks to God for the grace given to me despite my sinful ways, my humanness, my forgetfulness, and slip ups—even the days I think I need to find better “deals” or the next best thing in this world. Every Black Friday, from now on, I will try to remember Good Friday and how on that day God gave me the very best deal of all. Amen.
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