Advertising Overload

I was so disheartened when I picked up our day-after-Thanksgiving newspaper. It was twice as big as the Sunday paper, and all ads! When did a holiday about gratitude and family become focused on shopping?! Is getting up at 4am to wait in line to buy electronics and toys really the holiday tradition we want our kids to remember? I am happy to say that I have been so inundated with "Black Friday" advertisements (even NPR has Black Friday sales!) that I am thoroughly turned off by the idea of shopping for anything. We don't need anymore stuff, no matter how good a deal it is. My friends and family don't need me to buy them anymore stuff. This year, we made a conscious decision to say no to Black Friday and keep Thanksgiving a holiday for giving thanks for what we already have.