Dear Shoppers,
It’s been exactly twenty-four hours
since we sat around our tables,
held hands,
said grace,
and reminded ourselves how grateful we are
for the things we already have.
And today?
Today we wake up at 3:00 a.m.,
throw elbows at strangers,
and sprint through sliding doors
like contestants on a game show
designed by a Bond villain.
Welcome to Black Friday.
The day gratitude gets trampled
before the shoppers do.
Once upon a time it was a single day.
Now it spreads like mold.
Like a fungus outbreak
worked into a corporate business plan.
“Black Friday Deals Starting in October!”
“Early Black Friday!”
“Pre-Black Friday!”
“Black Friday Eve!”
“Cyber Week!”
“Extended Cyber Week!”
“Cyber Monday Deals Extended Through December!”
(Can someone check on Tuesday? I think it’s feeling left out.)
It’s no longer a sale.
It’s a seasonal parasite
that feeds on our anxiety:
What if I don’t buy enough?
What if I don’t get the best deal?
What if someone else’s cart is fuller than mine?
We just gave thanks for abundance.
Now we panic-buy like we’re preparing for emotional famine.
It’s the whiplash that gets me.
We go from
“I’m grateful for my family”
to
“I need a TV the size of Nebraska
so my family will finally love me.”
From
“I’m thankful for what I have”
to
“Also I need sixteen more things
that will break, bore me, or end up in Goodwill by March.”
We spend Thursday saying:
“I have enough.”
Then spend Friday screaming:
“But not THAT enough.”
And let’s be honest:
most of what we buy today
will not make us happier, kinder, wiser, safer, or more fulfilled.
It won’t deepen our relationships.
It won’t make us better people.
It won’t help our neighbors.
It won’t bring peace to the world.
It will just bring more…
stuff.
Stuff to store.
Stuff to clean.
Stuff to replace next year.
Stuff to distract us from the fact
that we’re exhausted, lonely, overworked, and overstimulated.
Black Friday promises joy
but delivers clutter.
Promises magic
but delivers receipts.
Promises meaning
but delivers cardboard boxes
we’ll step over until recycling day.
So here’s a thought –
radical, dangerous, subversive –
what if this year
we broke the cycle?
What if we let gratitude last
for more than 24 hours?
What if we remembered that the season
isn’t about sales,
but souls?
What if we tried something wild like:
• Buying less
• Loving more
• Helping someone who actually needs help
• Giving experiences instead of objects
• Spending time instead of money
• Choosing connection over consumption
What if we woke up today
and instead of asking,
“What should I buy?”
we asked,
“What could I share?”
Because the truth is:
No sale will ever satisfy the hunger
that only community, compassion, and connection can fill.
This Black Friday,
let’s reclaim the day after gratitude
as a day for gratitude.
Let’s be rebels.
Let’s be misfits.
Let’s be the humans who refuse to measure our joy
by what’s in our cart.
Happy Buy-Nothing-If-You-Can-Help-It Day.
Love,
— The Radical Left