Christmas is just a couple short weeks away and the race is on. Actually, the race began the day after Thanksgiving. Shopping, wrapping, sending Christmas cards, baking, attending parties -- it's all part of the season. While these tasks can be fun, they can also be a little stressful. December is, without a doubt, the busiest month of the year.
I have always loved looking at all the black Friday ads in the Thanksgiving day newspaper -- seeing what kinds of bargains and steals are up for grabs to anyone who chooses to wake up at some ridiculous hour and go shopping. I have never been one of those people. I have been shopping on black Friday, but it was well after the sun came up. So what if I missed some great deals? I got a lot more sleep than the rest of those crazy shoppers. :)
This year was different. This year, I was one of those crazy shoppers. My plan was to be at the outlets at midnight, when they opened. Of course, I can't be on time for anything, so I was about a half hour off of my schedule. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of how many people would be shopping along with me. To be honest, I didn't think it would be that busy. Boy was I wrong. On my way over to the outlets, I found myself stuck in traffc...at 12:17 AM. The cause? Crazy black Friday shoppers (myself included) all headed to the same place at the same time. I couldn't believe it. Erika and I met at the outlets, but both of us ended up parking two shopping centers over. Wow. We might as well have parked in East Bolivia. It felt that far away, anyway.
After our brisk walk over to the outlets, I still couldn't get over all the people. It was so exciting -- the crowds, the FANTASTIC deals...and it was the middle of the night! How fun! Erika and I were so thrilled with our outlet deals, we decided to hit Target next. We got to Target around 4:15 AM (I think), but the store did not open until 5:00. We passed Starbucks on the way over and it must have been open all night because the drive-thru line was wrapped around the building. The line to get into Target was super long as well -- backed up to the end of the building. It was freezing outside, so Erika and I decided to hang out in the car and look through the sale ads for a while. Around 5:00 AM, just as the doors were opened, we took our place in line. By this time, the line was starting to wrap around the parking lot, back towards Starbucks. I couldn't believe it.
When we walked through Target's doors, the place was a madhouse. I couldn't help but laugh, watching people race toward the electronics department. Looking around the store, I noticed everyone was pushing a buggy loaded down with at least one TV and several other items. It was so funny! I mean, how often do you go into Target and see every single customer buying a TV? Erika and I weren't really searching for any particular item. We were there, mainly, for the experience; but, don't worry. We didn't leave empty handed. Both of us took advantage of a couple great deals.
I got home at 6:20 AM, just as the sun was thinking about coming up. I shopped all. night. long. Yes, I was pretty proud of myself (I know...I'm such a dork), but then my thoughts turned to sleep, or more specifically, the lack thereof. I knew I wouldn't be getting much. Jacob usually wakes up a little before 7:00 AM. As I opened the front door, I prayed really hard that Jacob wouldn't be standing in the foyer to greet me. After all, it was 6:20 AM, and this was totally possible. Thank goodness, he was still sound asleep in bed. Surprisingly, I was able to get a few hours of sleep, thanks to my wonderful husband. He got up with the kids and took care of them until I rolled out of bed around 11:00, still sleepy and dreary eyed.
Conclusion: Black Friday shopping is fun and there truly are some really great deals to be had; however, if I hadn't begun my shopping spree at midnight, I don't know if I would have actually gotten out of bed at 3:00 in the morning. I do better with late nights than early mornings, if that makes any sense. I'm already gearing up for next year. It's too bad the sale ads don't come out a year early. I could already be devising my plan and penciling in my shopping schedule -- 12:00 outlets, 3:32 Old Navy, 4:45 Target. Just kidding. Seriously, though, I am definitely going out again next year...maybe a little earlier. It would be nice to have a better -- much closer -- parking space!
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