It's Black Friday! Do You Plan on Shopping Today?

I'd rather stick needles in my eyes or have a root canal without anesthesia or drink hemlock than go shopping at ANY store on Black Friday. I've participated in this insanity in the past, and it was sheer torture. I'm currently boycotting Walmart for making their employees work on Thanksgiving Day to prepare for Black Friday, but they weren't the only company who was doing this. Since when did Black FRIDAY become Black THURSDAY? Christmas seems to come earlier with each passing year, with businesses putting out their Christmas decorations and holiday-themed merchandise and displays right after Labor Day in September. Jeez, by the time December 25th rolls around, many of us are sick to death of Christmas and are happy to see the holidays come and go. That's not very festive, right? Most businesses tap into the good old American greed for which our country and its people are known. Nowadays, people take the "Christ" out of "Christmas," almost completely forgetting about the religious meaning. Hell, we can't even say "Merry Christmas" to others anymore [although I still do], for fear of offending those who don't celebrate the season for the same reason and in the same way Christians do. I don't fault anybody for shopping on Black Friday to get the best bang for their gift-giving bucks. I would hope, however, that the people immersed in the frantic days of the holiday season -- the shopping, the decorating, the parties, the baking, the gift-wrapping, the drinking, etc. -- don't allow those activities to overshadow the reason we celebrate on December 25th. We should take a moment, while spending time enjoying the season's traditions with our family and friends, to reflect on the true meaning of the Christmas spirit -- The celebration of Christ's birth.