black [hearted] friday.

Yesterday was just what the doctor ordered. I played old school nintendo on the new school Wii with my sister, swearing and threatening to break the controller every time I died. I went for a long walk with my mom and the dogs talking about where I'm at in my life and how to change/get to where I ultimately want to be. I enjoyed the clean country air and humbling sunsets. I helped prep Thanksgiving dinner [peeling & cutting.. c'mon of course my own family knows how disastrous a cook I am]. We sat down to a delicious home cooked meal where we gave thanks for the life we have, and expressed hope that one day everyone on earth can enjoy good health, great family and nutritious food on a regular basis. Afterwards we continued the Kinzie family tradition of playing a cutthroat game of Apples to Apples. There were vaguely violent arm gestures, copious amounts of emphatically persuading points, arguing with "bad" picks and -of course- cheating. [My mom had at least 15 red cards in her hands at all times & my sister hid 6 of my green cards while I was in the kitchen.] To end the evening, my sister and I paged through my grandma's old photo albums, marveling at the textbook hippies my parents were are and how early my cat hoarding tendencies started. I felt safe, happy, and full.. but more importantly full of love. NOT full of anticipation and nervousness about leaving my happy home to go wait in line with hundreds of other materialistic consumers rabidly awaiting the sales.

My parents raised me with a stellar set of beliefs. Being kind to my fellow man and creatures. Being thankful for the opportunities I have had thus far in life. Caring about and for the environment. Keeping an open mind and a closed mouth. I can safely say they have concretely shaped the person that I am today and I couldn't be more appreciative. Though that last statement may sound incredibly narcissistic, it in fact humbles me. I look at people who spend their hard earned dollars on mass produced cheap goods that are usually the product of child labor at a huge department store and I die a little inside. You work so hard to make a living, and you just throw it away in an effort to look like everyone else. The rampant consumerism is literally killing our environment and you don't care. Black Friday is the culmination of everything that I hate about consumer spending. Fighting your fellow man for a cheap dvd. Elbowing a grandmother who's getting too close to "your" TV. Ending your Thanksgiving -a time you should be spending with loved ones, appreciating your good fortune- EARLY to go wait in line in the cold at night. It literally turns my blood cold.

I know there are lots of small businesses also participating in Black Friday deals. I have retweeted a few etsy shops offering discount codes and people advocating shopping local and small.. but that's where my personal involvement stops. I had wibbled & wobbled on whether I would offer any shopping discounts in honor of this truly black "holiday" but ultimately decided against it. It's quite hard for me to mark any of my jewelry on sale as I work extremely hard on them [which is a post coming very soon] and the thought of "giving" them away leaves me in a very dark mood. I am not quite as attached to the vintage apparel & accessories I sell, but it didn't feel right putting one shop on sale but not the other, especially in light of my fervent avoidance of all things black Friday. If you want to shop a small business and have yours truly in mind, you can find my online goods here & here. There are no discount codes, but there are handcrafted jewels and stellar vintage. You can still get the warm fuzzy feeling of helping a small business owner stay afloat. Or better yet, you can donate gently used goods and clothing to your local thrift store or even to the homeless shelter. Can't let any of your prized possessions go just yet? They also accept monetary donations. No money to spare? Your time is just as valuable and more hands are always appreciated. Don't like people? Animal shelters are just as desperate for your help.

Bottom line.. think of ways you can help this holiday season, not just what kind of deals you can get on cheap shit. The feeling you get from giving is stronger and lasts exponentially longer than the fleeing emotions you experience from getting.

[x]m.