Virtual Real Estate Solutions : Black Friday...More like the BLACKHOLE Part ll

So my black Friday was less than productive with all the hussle and bussle. Today, I feel totally hung over and feel like someone is just squeezing my brain. But I have to say I learned alot from watching yesterday. It amazed me at what some people will do to get that Nintendo Wii or that Navigation system. It amazed me to see pushing and shoving instead of shaking hands and wishing someone a very safe and happy Holiday Season. It totally floored me to hear bells ringing from the Salvation Army at 5:00am in hopes to collect enough money for the less fortunate. To me, there was no Holiday cheer in the air, except for those bells. It was more about how much money can I spend, the greatest and most expensive gift's under the tree. It seemed like people were just buying to buy whether a great deal or not, whether really needed or not !

As for me I spent a whole $78.00 during my Holiday...blackhole...adventure. Trust me, you think your amazed you should have seen the look on my husband's face but more importantly I am proud of myself ! This year I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't buy, just to buy. I wouldn't buy to have the presents be taller than the tree. That's not what Christmas is all about. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to give, always have and Christmas is truly my favorite time of the year. But for me, it's the season. It's not about the gifts, it about the cheer, the friends and family, watching the look on my children's face when they open their favorite present on Christmas morning. Yesterday, I did more than just go to Wal-Mart, KMart and such. I also went to our local Thrift Stores that are run by The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and Cumberland Good Samaritans. As I entered these buildings I was very surprised to see just how packed they also were. While browsing I heard a mom as she pushed her cart with her 2 children. I heard her tell her little girl who couldn't be more than 5 maybe, that sometimes Santa drops things off here for boys and girls and Mommy's and Daddy's have to come and pick them up for Christmas morning and try not to look. You could tell she was trying to "mask" some of the things she had in the cart with an old blanket. I thought, wow, here's a mom, probably struggling like I once did and doing her best to get a few presents under the tree and here we all are running around like crazy people to hit the stores at 5:00am and spend hundreds of dollars and pushing and shoving to get it. This gave me an idea. My kids have so many toys, toys they don't even remember they have that are buried at the bottom of the toy box. Toys, they certainly will not miss. When I got home yesterday after seeing almost bare shelves in the aisles of my local thrift stores, I went through my children's toys and have 3 bags I will be donating today. The Holidays are so much about giving, so much more than the pile of presents under the tree. A toy, marked with a $1.00 can bring so much joy and cheer to a less fortunate child.

As for me, I made a list and a promise to not go overboard this year. I am sticking to my list and staying with it. I am not buying just to by. I am not using my credit cards either. I knew Christmas would come and I have saved all year. Christmas is not about maxing out credit cards, it's not about the most expensive present, it's not about getting so angry that you run someone down with your cart ! It's about doing what you can, doing what you can afford today, buying things you can actually utilize, giving and making someone else's Christmas a little brighter, teaching our children "The Story of Christmas" and entering a new year debt free !

Yesterday I learned you can learn so much from observing....if you are the teachable kind !