It’s here… it’s unavoidable, it seems. Commercials, advertisements, it’s Black Friday madness. And as Black Friday starts earlier and earlier each year…. if you cannot stand to go out in the crowds to shop, you can….
1. Shop Online If you want to shop, but can’t stand the crowds, you do have the option to shop online. No longer is there a great divide between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as more and more retailers move Black Friday to Thursday and Cyber Monday to Black Friday or even earlier. Snag the best deals online and skip the shopping altogether.
2. Make your list, check it twice! Is your Christmas list ready? Have you finished up your shopping? Try making a Christmas shopping list with all of your recipients and check off what’s purchased, what’s arrived, and what’s wrapped. Then, make your plans for what you still to finish up!
3. Repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers, and freeze some meals where you can! Extra turkey and potatoes? Try the Chicken Potato Pot Pie, subbing turkey. If you have leftover pumpkin pudding, make better than pumpkin dessert, substituting the Jell-O pudding for your pumpkin. If you have leftover potatoes, make these Mississippi Mud Potatoes. On the off chance you have leftover Cool Whip, try the delicious Oreo Cookie Dip.
4. Clean up after the guests. Did you host Thanksgiving? If so, Black Friday is a great time to clean house (allowing you the rest you so deserve after dinner Thursday). Take some time Friday to clean up– don’t rush it the night of Thanksgiving. Get the essentials soaking, do a table cleanup, but save the bulk of the work for the next day.
5. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. If you didn’t host, now is a great time to write a thank you note to your host for her hard work. Otherwise, you have a great opportunity to address your Christmas cards and prepare them for sending out.
6. Curl Up With a Good Book. If you’re beat from Thanksgiving (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), curl up with a good book or your favorite magazine and a cup of coffee. This is the perfect day to just relax and unwind and reward yourself for your hard work. If you’ve been meaning to tackle a new book, now’s the time. My favorite magazine for inspiration? HGTV magazine.
7. Pamper yourself. Take your relaxation a step further. Paint your toenails. Take a bubble bath. Do nothing… you’ve done plenty, and this is going to be a busy holiday season as it is!
8. Spend time with your family. Drag out the favorite board games. Pull out old photos and family home movies. Spend some time together, relive memories, and kick off the Christmas season right by looking back at your combined history as you move forward into the next few months.
9. Serve at a soup kitchen. A lot of times, soup kitchens have plenty of volunteers for the holiday itself, but unfortunately, it’s like a ghost town every other day. Take some time on Black Friday to go serve meals to those who need it.
10. Purge excess clutter. As the Christmas season is upon us, go through your old stuff. Donate good condition items, trash other items, and just purge. In many ways, this is a great opportunity to prepare your home for the gifts that will come during the season, but it will also help you see that it’s not all about the “stuff.” Need a good place to start? Check out these things to purge.
11. Binge-watch cheesy movies. If you’re home, enjoy your time with family by watching your favorite cheesy movies. You can always drag out your favorite holiday classics (we love Elf around here!), browse Netflix or Amazon Prime Instant Streaming, which are always packed with great holiday movies, and finally, you know TV channels will be packed with their Christmas movie countdowns, so take some time, pop some popcorn, get out the hot cocoa, and just enjoy.
12. Decorate for Christmas. For those of you who have a strict “no decorating until after Thanksgiving” policy, guess what? Black Friday is officially after Thanksgiving, so you can decorate! Trim the tree, linger over old family ornaments, enjoy your time together, and just have a blast getting the house decorated for Christmas!
13. Wrap Gifts. Look at you, so on top of things! If you’re all set, or even if you’ve shopped a bit, pull out the trimmings and wrap what you’ve got purchased. Once it’s wrapped, it can go under the tree and it’s one less thing you have to do during December!
14. Drive Around to See the Lights. A lot of cities and towns do their Christmas lighting ceremonies on Thanksgiving night, so Black Friday is the perfect time to drive around and look at all of the lights. Seek out the best displays in your area, get in the car, pop in the Christmas carols, and sing as you drive around and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. Or, make a game out of it– “I spy a house with blue lights,” anyone?
15. Do a family Bible study. Thankfulness. Being grateful for what you have. Being comfortable in what you’ve got. The real reason for the holiday season. Take some time as a family to go over these topics and study verses together. Talk, engage in open dialogue. Or, do a study yourself with a mug of coffee. Embark on a Bible study that will take you through until Christmas, or meditate on some passages that are speaking to you today. Either way, Black Friday is a great time to skip the sales and just reflect.
Do you participate in Black Friday? What do you do if you’re skipping?
