I have previously shopped on Boxing Day or the day after Christmas. It’s a good time to find bargains, but the upshot is that everyone is out shopping and it’s almost as chaotic as Black Friday. I tweeted on Twitter about how I would not be at the mall today. And, a few friends responded or retweeted. One thing that I noted today, though, is this dripping sense of condescension toward the hordes that were shopping.

Now, we can get into a debate about consumerism and that is fine and well. However, my issue here is more about people looking down at the people who are braving the crowds and saving money. I do have the luxury to buy the vast majority of my kids’ Christmas gifts prior to Christmas. I certainly do not think that today’s shoppers are misguided. I guess that I am reacting to tweets and posts on other social media platforms.

I previously blogged about Black Friday and Zombies, so perhaps here I am being somewhat hypocritical. That post was really about our need for “stuff” and I had just finished a YaLit book that included a Zombie who moaned, “Stuff,” so the comparison really worked. George Romero beat me to the comparison a generation ago! I know that when I drafted that previous post, I kept on thinking about how some shoppers have to shop on Black Friday in order to afford the gifts/items. One thing that I can tell you–collaborative consumption is making more sense. But, when I was a college student, I lived for the after Christmas sales.

Now, tomorrow we will work on our “something in and something out” rule. This does not include books. I know that we’ll have a bag or box to take to Women in Need or the Salvation Army. Happy Holidays!