Black Friday

An Haiku
(November 2004)

Gluttony part two
Our table tops are clean now
Shopping can commense




I'll preface this next ditty by apologizing if I offend anyone who completely disagrees with my mentality on this subject. I don't often feel the need to apologize for my beliefs and viewpoints, but since this has a general relation to the "holiday season" and "the season of giving", I wish to minimize any begrudging on either behalf.
See, it's just that I loathe with a passion the whole "it's christmas, go spend money" thing. I hate it, it's so superficial and backwards... but this society is stuck in this "thing" up to our botox inflated eyebrows and foreheads. Why the mad rush to basically trample those poor souls at the cash regsiters I mean, I'm not in disagreement with showering those you love with favors, gifts, and niceties, but why can't we do it all year, every month, rather than buying each person 12-15 boxes of wonder all for one day. This notion only perpetuates unhappiness and ungratefulness with those gifts we receive. If we were to spend the same effort, attention, and money on one special gift or offering maybe once a month or so, the effort would be much more appreciated and recognized. Maybe I'm wrong... but I just believe the whole "gift giving on a certain day" is out of control. Everything we see in this society, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is in some way fashioned or tethered to this "capitalistic, superficial, materialistic" notion of gift splurge. We could better use our time and finances (as a nation) to come closer together and more tolerant of ourselves as a "national unit"- for we are still a divided, rifted nation.
I love the holiday spirit as much as the next guy/ girl- but I lean more towards the holiday we just tossed in the trash- Thanksgiving. No that's a time of sharing and togetherness! We eat together, we sleep together, we watch football together, we decorate and cook together, but most of all... we don't feel the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money of "stuff". Best of all, this notion is agreed upon- together!!