Well, Thanksgiving week is upon us, and that means it’s almost that time of year. Time for the stores and malls to be flooded with people pushing and shoving to buy something for somebody who probably doesn’t even want what they’re buying, and then will spend the next year paying everything off so they can do it all over again next year. Isn’t that the American way?
As for me, I make it a point to avoid those kinds of places as much as possible from this week through the middle of January. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy buying gifts for the people I love, and I try to make sure that they get something they really want for Christmas. But with online shopping, it’s so much easier. And if I do buy something retail, I try very hard to do so from a small, locally owned business, even if it costs a few dollars more. Those people are my neighbors whether I know them or not, and I would rather support them than some big box store whenever possible.
I mentioned the other day that friends have invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner, but trust me, come Black Friday, this kid isn’t leaving the home. I’ll leave all that nonsense to the senseless hordes of shoppers who are excited because they’re going to save a buck or two on something and don’t mind clawing their way through a crowd to get to it.
Besides, Black Friday shopping can be very dangerous. Just ask Raymond Winters. He was an everyday family man who went shopping the day after Thanksgiving and found himself in a world of hurt, accused of murder, suddenly jobless, estranged from his family, and not knowing what his future would be or if he would even have a future. You can read all about it in my book Black Friday. That would be a better way for you to spend the weekend than going to the mall anyway.
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.
Congratulations, Marshall McLaurin, winner of our drawing for an autographed copy of Big Lake Scandal, the fifth book in my Big Lake mystery series. It’s the story about what happens when the richest man in Big Lake is murdered on the night he announced his bid for State Senator. The list of suspects stretches all the way from the small mountain town to the Governor’s office, and Sheriff Jim Weber’s investigation reveals a web of secrets, illicit sex, and shattered lives that teach him that nothing is what it appears to be and that sometimes the people we think we know are not at all what we believe them to be.
We had 76 entries this time around. Stay tuned, a new contest starts soon. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books and audiobooks to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.
Thought For The Day – I don’t get nearly enough credit for all the things I manage not to say.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
So right, Nick! I participated in Black Friday one time and never again! I thought Best Buy had the perfect gift for my son, so stood in line for an hour or so, then when inside the store I was still in line! It was awful! I left, waited a day or so and went back. Bought the same thing, same price, no crowd, no waiting! Now at age 87, I do most of my shopping on Amazon and eBay……… so much easier. Feel a little guilty not using the local stores, but most of them are the part of the big chains anyway.
Black Friday is an amazing novel, one I certainly couldn’t put down. For the past 11 years I worked in retail and the day after Thanksgiving was a miserable day but this year I too won’t be anywhere but home or in the woods. Happy Thanksgiving Nick. Can’t wait for Big Lake Drunk!