Catalog Shopping vs. Hitting The Stores On Black Friday

I'm the one on the right in the brown plaid flannel shirt.

Back in 1965 when we were growing up, my parents were never big on taking us four kids all shopping very often but we always looked forward to when the catalogs from Sears, Penney's and Montgomery Ward arrived in the mail.  We would each be able to go through them and check up to a certain number of things we would like in each one.  I think it was somewhere like five to ten items but I really don't remember the exact number.  I know we had a limit so it was a very serious task, but one we all enjoyed.  I wonder if we grew up in these times with the Internet if my mom would have gone online and requested catalogs so we could mark the things we would like.

Today, I shop by catalog too.  We get them from L.L. Bean, Whales and Friends, Brookstone and a bunch of others but I like to actually get out and go to stores too.  When I was a teenager, I went for the first time on Black Friday.  We went early in the morning and it was so much fun!  As an adult, I always look forward to getting my Christmas shopping mostly done that day and when I married Gerard, we both go now about 7 a.m. and get home around 2:00 or so.  In my younger years, I used to go all day long but then I had more shopping to do and more energy.  I do remember being wiped out though by the end of the day.  We like seeing all the holiday shoppers, hearing the Christmas music in the stores and finding some good bargains.  The only part I don't like is hunting for a seat at the food court to eat lunch.

What about you?  Do you love to shop on Black Friday?  What shopping traditions do you have?  Do you still order from catalogs?

To find out more about my book and why I wrote it, read the Foreword here. Tweet This

Harry's Tip to Parents--A Favorite Christmas Tradition

My favorite Christmas tradition as a kid was getting a package at the bottom of our bed the night before Christmas. It was usually pajamas, slippers or a robe. Something like that and all four of us got the same thing, but a different style or color. Although it was usually some kind of clothes, it was always fun finding a package at the bottom of our bed. My mom and dad figured if we got new sleepwear, we would look good in the pictures that dad always took on Christmas morning.

One year when the three of us girls shared a room, we had triple bunk beds! I was on the top in case you're wondering. Anyhow, one of us woke up at 2:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve (technically, it was Christmas morning) and opened are packages right then. My parents heard us and came in telling us to go back to sleep because it was too early to get up. We were just excited.

Why not surprise your children this year and put an early present at the bottom of their bed tonight? I bet they'd like it!