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The Friday after Thanksgiving has become known
as the official start of the holiday shopping season. Today is
called "Black Friday" to illustrate the fact that Christmas sales
help many retail outlets climb out of the financial "red" of debt
and into the "black" of profit. This holiday shopping simply
shifts the responsibility of debt from the retail market to the
consumer's credit cards. And although the United States is in the
midst of one of the worst economic downturns in modern history,
billions of dollars will be spent in stores this weekend. Does
this really help the economy?
The Gallup Research Group estimates that American adults will spend
at least $639 each on holiday gifts this year. That's over $1,200
spent by a family of two! Much of this money will be used on gifts
given to other adults who would have been much happier to have
pocketed the expense and not simply exchanged money with others.
Dads will get neck ties that they will never wear. Many children
will spend more time playing with the box their toy was wrapped in
than with the toy itself. These same children are in essence
taught that greed is an acceptable attribute when they make their
tremendous toy lists for Santa Claus. And many parents will take
out loans, work overtime, or run up credit card bills just to try
to satisfy the insatiability of teens and toddlers. Doesn't the
$450 billion dollar price tag of Christmas seem a bit
much?
History tells us that the term "Black Friday" originates with
several economic crashes that paralyzed our country. The phrase
"Black Friday" was first used in 1869 to reference the day the
United States stock market tumbled under the Presidency of Ulysses
S. Grant. During the civil war, the government issued large
amounts of cash that was only backed with government credit. A few
gold investors manipulated the market and down the stock market
crumbled. Sound familiar? The 1929 "Black Friday" was when the
European markets reacted to the fall of the New York Stock Exchange
and the entire world was plunged into the Great Depression.
Some people suggest that gift giving at
Christmas is supported by Scripture. That is not what the Bible
teaches. Matthew 2:10-11 talks about the Wise Men following the
star and arriving "at the house" and presenting their items to the
"child." The Wise Men arrived several years later and were not at
the manger!
Today, the term "Black Friday" speaks of the day when retail stores
advertise huge discounts in hopes to woo the Christmas crowd.
Supermarkets go out of debt and individuals go into debt, all in
order to celebrate the season of giving. Such spending is ironic
as Messiah himself said, "Take care! Be on your guard against all
kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of
possessions," Luke 12:15. Christmas shopping doesn't have to
result in personal economic problems. Make a decision today to not
spoil children or grandchildren with toys that they will soon
forget. This year, do something as a family to help the needy
instead of buying your grown siblings a gift they could easily live
without. Use that same money, time, and effort to help others less
fortunate. Give the gift of charity by supporting a loved one's
favorite cause. Or create lasting memories with the family by
doing something out of the ordinary. "Black Friday" is aptly
named. This season can be a time to go farther into debt or to
learn from past financial crashes and stop the greed.
Avoid the Black Friday Crisis this
Year
