Purple Haze
What's important this holiday
By Lauren Bagian

Dec. 3, 2009

The Christmas music was on the radio long before the Thanksgiving table was cleared and the turkey was still in the stomachs of the shoppers as they stood in mile-long lines outside of stores at three in the morning. Waiting out the chill of the night air, these die-hard shoppers knew that there would be amazing deals inside once the doors opened so that their Christmas shopping could be done before the calendar even said December.

I found myself standing in one of these lines outside of Best Buy before the sun rose. As I crossed the threshold into the store, I was amazed at the incredible organization of the entire operation. Employees were assigned to either be the beginning of line or the end of one as they held balloons to indicate these lines. Like air-traffic controllers, they directed shoppers to various check-out stations and checked receipts at the door. The line for computers stretched around the entire store and the tired bargain hunters waited to hopefully save money on laptops. I was overwhelmed; how anyone could handle that scene all day was incredible.

Black Friday shopping seems to add more stress that it’s supposed to be solving. The crowded stores, long lines and early starts tend to cancel out the deals. This holiday season isn’t about shopping and presents, it’s about family, togetherness and tradition. While giving is a huge part of the season, it’s more important to give time and care than the newest iPod or Playstation 3. While presents under the tree bring temporary joy, the time spent baking cookies and picking out a Christmas tree is much more valuable. Don’t let getting caught in long check-out lines cause this short holiday season to pass you by.