Dear Black Friday

No amount of savings should incite this...

It's really sad that I have to write a letter about an 'unofficial holiday', especially since the holiday is riddled in materialism and greed. Let's not even get into the fact that the term Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. You remember.. The day we were supposed to be THANKFUL for everything that we DO have. The irony there is priceless. But Black Friday, you really are like the crack pipe sitting outside of rehab, just waiting to lure us from our new (one day old) sense of thankfulness and appreciation.

You're pretty much a corporate creation, too. Since the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924, the day after Turkey Day has always been considered the official start to the Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever) season. It's only in 1960, at the rise of advertising (watch Mad Men, people), that companies were trying to bring their sales up for the Holidays, and coined the term 'Black Friday'. They lowered prices, had special promotions and 'midnight doorbusters' to drive people into thinking that they were gaining something out of spending their money. And look what that turned into.

People getting trampled at Walmart?? Plummeting credit scores?? Increased traffic and accidents?? And the best part of all, big companies raking in the cash because heads are too jaded to see how silly it is. You see, the whole idea of Black Friday wouldn't really be that bad if the result wasn't so ridiculous. Why rush into Walmart at 5 AM to save $300 on a TV, when the TV is going to be cheaper 6 months later? Why buy that new blouse at 50% off, when after the 'festivities' you won't be able to fit it anymore? Black Friday, you destroy our wallets for instant gratification. You make people forget that they don't need 'things' to be happy. Like I said, it's unbelievably ironic that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving...