Happy Thanksgiving!

[Aquarius]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Lady Rainbow]

Happy Turkey Day, everyone!

[justTripn]

I am thankful for family and friends! And now to face Black Friday . . . Here I go! To Best Buy (for i-pods, DVD player) and Bath and Body Works (for nice smelling soaps!).

[Alelou]

You're brave!

I bought a new TV at Target the day before Thanksgiving when I suddenly realized I'd been looking for a good deal for months and their sale was better than anything I'd seen yet, even online. I was kind of shocked they still had the thing in stock four days into the sale. Probably a sign of the economy.

So anyway, after the turkey we all watched football on our first flat screen HDTV yesterday. And then after my brother left we watched the first ep of the Firefly DVD I'd borrowed from the library. (That was a good rec!)

So, we got our big Christmas present early and helped the economy.

[justTripn]

Well, we got a new DVD player, an I-Pod, and an obscene amount of scented soaps, candles, and hand creams. But that's mostly for my husband's grandmother and she deserves it. It was fun.

My oldest is home from college and insisted we watch some Voyager DVDs together. We watched the final two episodes, Endgame 1 and 2 because he remembered an exciting Borg Battle. The plot was kind of dumb (not much of a Borg battle), but Janeway is one tough lady! My son looked at it skeptically and went: She thinks she's Hilary Clinton (That's a compliment I belive.) And Tuvok cracked me up at one point, because in one scene he sounded just like Barack Obama.

I watched two other episodes while cooking. Echep saves Seven's life ("Your ocular impant is malfunctioning") and B'lanna and Tom Paris have a fight then get engaged. Those episodes hold up VERY well over time.

[Alelou]

Which is the Tom and B'Elana ep? I wouldn't mind renting that one. I always liked those two as a couple ... just not enough to keep watching that series.

I'm on the prowl for a new DVD player too. Part of reason we wanted a new TV was so we could finally get rid of the really crappy one upstairs. I also hope to change out the temperamental DVD player upstairs, which can't tolerate so much as a smudge on the disk without going into a hysterical faint.

[JadziaKathryn]

Which is the Tom and B'Elana ep? I wouldn't mind renting that one. I always liked those two as a couple ... just not enough to keep watching that series.

"Drive" and then I also really like "Lineage."

[Pitseleh]

Well, my parents are still maintaining "email silence" after their Black Friday shopping rampage, so I'm guessing they are either still stuck in some mall or passed out on the hotel room. I bet they didn't get any sleep last night.

[Alelou]

"Drive" and then I also really like "Lineage."

Cool. Thanks, I'll get my hands on them somehow.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

"Black Friday" for shopping over there, huh?

I thought there was a recession going on...?

[Alelou]

Well, no doubt we'll hear that it wasn't enough to drive all the stores "into the black" this year.

I think it's an excellent way to whip people up into a panicked frenzy of spending money they don't have as they compete bitterly over limited quantities of loss-leader merchandise. This is why I just won't go out on Black Friday.

Not to mention what happened to that poor greeter at a Wal-Mart in Long Island who got stampeded to death by the crowd. That's a sign right there of how sick this thing is.

[Aquarius]

I know I sound like a Scrooge, but Black Friday and the whole shopping thing is why I hate Christmas. I get so disgusted at the stupidity and self-importance when I go out this time of year.

My family took a vote and we finally decided to do the intelligent thing this year and not give gifts. We're making Christmas about what's important: THE FOOD!! Seriously, though, it's not like any of us really has the money, and there are no kids--I'm an only child and and only grandchild and I have yet to reproduce. So, we're gonna eat, get a couple of fun movies, play some silly board games, etc., and just hang out as a family.

Oh, and I'm sure I'll do everybody's hair!

[CX]

Ah yes, the day we all celebrate the violent colonization of the United States. At least it gives me an excuse to see my parents for a few days. This year we had meatloaf and mashed potatoes (Dad and I don't like turkey).

[JadziaKathryn]

I think it's an excellent way to whip people up into a panicked frenzy of spending money they don't have as they compete bitterly over limited quantities of loss-leader merchandise. This is why I just won't go out on Black Friday.

Not to mention what happened to that poor greeter at a Wal-Mart in Long Island who got stampeded to death by the crowd. That's a sign right there of how sick this thing is.

That was hideous and inhumane. What a shame. So absolutely needless and cruel.

However, Black Friday doesn't have to be "a panicked frenzy of spending money they don't have as they compete bitterly over limited quantities of loss-leader merchandise." Last year I saved a good chunk of money on a digital camera - which I was going to buy anyway for my trip to Australia. This year I got my cousin's Christmas gift, a season of House on DVD, which was $13.98 at Target. I couldn't have afforded the usual $44.99.

The thing is, some people make Christmas into this materialistic idol. I, for one, truly enjoy buying and giving gifts. However, it's not the be-all-end-all. In the end Christmas is a celebration of Christ for me. Less religious folk might opt for the season of goodwill approach, I guess.