Black Friday, Good Friday?
A glance at the shops or the internet this week tells me that Britain’s Black Friday shopping event, set for 24th November, actually fires the starting gun this weekend.
The event is an American import, marking the start of the Christmas shopping season. In the early 1960s police officers in Philadelphia began using the phrase “Black Friday” to describe the chaos that resulted when huge crowds of suburban tourists came into the city to begin their holiday shopping. They created a headache for the police, who worked longer shifts to deal with problems like traffic jams, accidents, and shoplifting.
In the UK, Black Friday is a massive event which exists to stimulate consumer demand. It is cleverly marketed to you and me as doing us a favour: up to 40% off! The reality is that we, the consumers, are doing a favour to the big retailers, since smaller independent stores cannot afford those kind of pre-Christmas reductions.
Whatever the razzamatazz surrounding it, Black Friday can be quite a headache. With deals screaming out, I often end up with massive FOMO. What if I miss out? What if my Christmas will cost more, because I don’t have the time or ready-cash to shop this weekend?
Instead of feeling empowered, we feel inadequate. In a world of consumerism, how much is enough? We are manipulated to feel bad unless we own the latest model or the shiny version of an item you may already possess. The pressure hits at the heart of the human condition. The danger is that we allow ourselves to become defined by stuff and consumption. To think “I am what I own”. This can be transferred to our sense of worth. It becomes “I am not enough”.
What is the answer? As a Christian I look to another Friday. Good Friday, the day at Easter which remembers Jesus’ death on a cross, when He took humanity’s sin and weakness upon himself, so that we could have a new friendship with God. Good Friday speaks to each of us personally: because of Jesus you can please God. You are enough. It speaks to our purpose: an inner peace that comes from knowing that God loves and accepts you is the springboard to a life of purpose and passion.
Let’s keep a healthy perspective during the Christmas sales, and remember that Jesus is the true reason for the season.