Black Friday

Why is it called "Black Friday?"  Because it looks like this when you wake up at 4:15 a.m. to go shopping:

But don't worry, you aren't the only crazy people.  In fact, this parking lot at Kohl's was 90% full when we arrived at 5:00 a.m. and the lines were already backed up all the way to the back of the store on both sides with people who arrived when the store first opened at 4:00 a.m.

One of said lines - this is from the back of the store, where the line then curved around the corner behind and to the left for another few dozen people.

Thankfully the stores have all or most registers open even at that early hour so our trip down the line only took us 30 minutes...

Then off to the mall where at least there are pretty decorations:

Black Friday

Why's it gotta be about color?

This was the line in front of our nearest Best Buy at 5:40 a.m. this morning, and it stretched all the way around the far corner of the building, down the side, and around another corner into the side parking lot... we kept driving and went to Home Depot instead for a tree.

Pictures of the tree will be put up after we put it together. A $179 tree for $79 and a coupon for a $30 HD gift card - sweet! Only problem? The box was too big for our little Saturn. We managed to squeeze it into the back seat - no way it could get into the trunk in any direction - but it was longer than the car is wide... so the drivers side door wouldn't close! What to do? Run back inside the store for a $4 pair of bungee chords: crack the back window, hook one bungee onto the clothes hanger hook, loop it around the top of the window, connect the other bungee, hook it into the child seat hook behind the back seat, and drive home via the back roads - no problem!