Beating the Black Friday Blues

Advent is the season of preparation for Christ’s birth and traditionally begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving. For me, shopping the day after Thanksgiving borders on sacrilege so I have always boycotted shopping on Black Friday. Instead, I prefer to extend Thanksgiving gratitude by continuing to celebrate my blessings.

For those tempted to take part in the frenzy, I recommend alternative activities. Wake as early as the shoppers but instead, appreciate the big, black sky and watch the sun rise. Despite everything you ate and drank or any familial stress you endured during the Thanksgiving festivities, you survived to enjoy a new day!

Drag your still-full, tired self to the kitchen and make yourself a hot cup of black tea or coffee. Take pleasure in the comforting brew and the quiet of the morning while still in your jammies or wrapped in a soft blanket. Remember, today is all about the moment and it is not a black-tie event.

For your listening pleasure, I have put together a playlist of songs:

1. “Black Leather Trousers and Motorcycle Boots” — For kicks and giggles listen to this hit from 1955 by The Diamonds.
2. “Baby’s in Black” — The harmony will keep you from feeling blue while you listen to the Beatles sing their 1964 hit.
3. “Blackbird” — Ironically, the Beatles recorded this song for their 1968 White Album. I like Paul McCartney’s live performance from 2004.
4. “Black Dog” — This hard rock/bluesy hit from 1971 is not about a labrador retriever, but Jimmy Page plays a mean Gibson Les Paul.
5. “Black and White” — Three Dog Night made this a hit in 1972. On December 25, you can sing their version of “Joy to the World!”
6. “Men in Black” — This smash hit is the theme song from the 1997 film bearing the same name. I am including it for the Millennial and Gen Z generations who appreciate Will Smith.
7. “Where the Blacktop Ends” — Released as a single in 2001, this is country music and Keith Urban at their best.
8. “Baa Baa Black Sheep“ — A traditional nursery rhyme song, this is for the very young. Once they know the tune, teach them “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “The ABC Song” since all three have the same melody.

You can also curl up with a terrific book:

1. If you prefer a classic, consider The Minister’s Black Veil, a novella by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
2. Travel back to 1986 and read James Patterson’s thriller Black Friday or tackle his 2017 Black Book, the first in a series featuring detective Billy Harney.
3. Black and Blue is a novel by Anna Quindlen, chosen for Oprah’s Book Club in 1998. It is a realistic thriller about a woman who takes a risk to become someone new.
4. Raven Black is a 2006 crime novel by Ann Cleeve and is the first of her “Shetland Island” mysteries, which the BBC made into a hit TV series.
5. Black Cake written by Charmaine Wilkerson is her debut novel published in early 2022. The book is a contemporary historical fiction that explores the “then” and “now.” Read it NOW.
6. Share a picture book from Mike Thaler’s Black Lagoon series with little people. I recommend The Teacher from the Black Lagoon or The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon (in honor of aunts and uncles). For young self-readers, choose Thaler’s chapter book titled Thanksgiving Day from the Black Lagoon.
7. For early readers, an excellent choice is the Princess in Black series by Shannon and Dean Hale, offering action-packed chapters that amuse and delight.

Those who would rather watch than read can enjoy these on a flat screen:

1. Black Beauty (G/PG) — I found five cinematic versions of this 1877 novel (1946, 1971, 1994, 2015, 2020) plus two animated versions (1978, 1987). Kate Winslet voices the horse in the 2020 version.
2. Black Night (PG13) is a 2001 adventure comedy starring Martin Lawrence.
3. Black Hawk Down (R) is another 2001 film, based on the 1999 non-fiction book by journalist Mark Bowden. This war drama is only for grownups.
4. If none of these appeals to you, watch more football, especially if the teams wear black!

No book, no movie? How about these suggestions:

1. Dig out a deck of cards and play Red Takes Black.
2. Set up the red and black checkerboard and play Checkers or Chess.
3. Find a coloring book with animals and encourage the kids to use black for pandas, zebras, and penguins.
4. Black Friday is also a wonderful day for scratch-art paper — Kids can scratch away the black to create pictures and designs.
5. Tell black jokes:

“How do you speak to a black and white striped rabbi?” — In Zebrew

“What is black and white and flies through space?” — A cowmet!

“What did Donald Trump say when he learned black and white weren’t real colors?” — “Fake hues”

“What’s black and white and black and white and black and white and green all over?” — Three skunks fighting over a pickle

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Hopefully, my ideas have helped you avoid any Black Friday blues, and your checkbook remains in the black. As November comes to a close, I pray that you  “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)