This week’s post is taking a slightly different format than most. This week, I’ll be talking less about tea, and more about tea culture-- that idea that time should be spent meaningfully, that connection and community are important, and that appreciating the things we have is more important than obtaining new things. This week, I want to talk about Black Friday.
Why do we have an entire holiday about being thankful for the things we have, and then wake up obscenely early the next morning to go out and buy more things, in a gladiatorial competition to get the best deals? Black Friday makes Thanksgiving feel cheap. While you’re enjoying the company of family whom you rarely see, are you already fantasizing about the deal you’re going to get on a purse, or the newest gaming console the next morning? Are you shopping on your phone rather than listening to your grandparents?
Certainly, Black Friday feels less selfish because it is supposed to be the first day of the holiday shopping season. What you’re buying is supposed to be for other people. But is the rush to get something expensive for your loved ones really the best way to show them that you love them? And is this really the best day to be off shopping? This weekend tends to be a time that people have off from work and school. Your loved ones are more likely to be at home this weekend than later in the month. Why not spend quality time with them now, and do the shopping later?
The answer to that question might be a little self-evident. Thanksgiving can be a little boring. Shopping is a great way to kill time, and the excitement of Black Friday certainly breaks up the monotony of the weekend. However, getting out and about to shop locally, for example, at small, single-location, independently owned tea shops, might be a better way. Instead of driving on icy roads to the mall, and rushing to get the best deals, why not enjoy a more relaxed stroll through your local downtown?
Instead of buying some designer shoes that were on sale tomorrow, why not buy tea for the people you care about? While handmade gifts seem to be the ideal, we aren’t all talented enough to craft something astonishing ourselves. Tea seems to be the next best thing. It is a promise of time. It is a moment shared between the two of you, or a moment for your loved ones to relax, and treat themselves, sponsored by yourself. For a more humble gift, try buying a tea that you do not usually like, to be offered to guests. It embodies the same selflessness, but without the spectacle of actually giving a gift to another person.
If you want to avoid the icy roads completely, online shopping may be a better way to go. While this can be done alone, online shopping is a lot more fun when you do it with someone else. We would like to thank you for taking the time to read this article.
Happy Thanksgiving, from the folks here at Good Life Tea