is black friday shopping your thing?

Do you look forward to the Thanksgiving newspaper so you can search the ads? Do you plan your shopping itinerary so you can hit all the good sales?
Do you enjoy the mobs?
The long lines?
The pushing? Shoving? Racing down aisles?
Not me!

The bargains are great! And I'm all about finding a good deal. But sometimes it's just worth paying full price.

But what about when the stores promise to have those hard to find items available only on Black Friday? Is it worth it?

YES!!!
Especially when that hard to find item is a Cabbage Patch Kid in 1983. And so begins my first Black Friday shopping experience.

I was a doll fanatic as a child. And I was such a good doll mommy. I would dress my babies and feed them and drag them around wherever I went, pretending they were real. And then I got my first Cabbage Patch Kid. Oh how I loved Inissa Junette!

Shortly after Inessa came into my life, the cabbage patch frenzy began in the rest of the world. I so desired to add on to my doll family. But as soon as those babies hit the store shelves, they were gone.

Then we got a tip. Toys Plus (the Toys R Us of the olden days) was getting a shipment on the day after Thanksgiving. So my adoring dad got up in the middle of the night and stood in line (with me) outside the store. And waited for the doors to open. So I could have my chance to get a doll sibling for Inissa.

Once those doors opened, it was a free for all! People were scrambling down the aisles, racing to spot the coveted toys. And there at the back of the store, was a stack of dolls in boxes. I sifted through the boxes, trying to find the perfect one. And then I spotted her. Emmalynn Steffie. With her beautiful orange braids. And green eyes.

And just as I was walking over to show my dad, a big kid shoved me and I hit my head on the corner of a metal shelf. OUCH!!! And then, as we were standing in line to pay for Miss Emmalynn, I realized I was bleeding. Cue the tears.

So my first Black Friday shopping experience landed me a trip to the ER. No stitches needed.

Eventually, Isaac Van, Bette Adrienne, and Sherman Sherwin joined the family. They joined with a lot less drama involved.

So if you do decide to risk your life on Black Friday, I wish you only the best.

I think I'll stay at home.

Probably.