How to Make Black Friday Amazing

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The kids and I sat around the coffee table and made a list of things of must-do’s over Thanksgiving break. Our voices rose with excitement as we tossed out ideas for what food we wanted at our feast and what movies we wanted to watch. “I really want to go out for Black Friday this year,” my daughter suddenly shared. I smiled, trying to appear open-minded, but inside I started to panic. I’ve heard all the Black Friday stories and I didn’t want any of it.

I understood my daughter’s desire to join in the excitement, but getting up at the crack of dawn to stand in long lines didn’t sound like fun to me. So we worked together to come up with something that would be the best of both worlds; giving her the excitement of the Black Friday experience, but without the stressful shopping and long lines. Here are five tips so you can do the same!

black-friday

Set Your Own Schedule

First, we decided that there wasn’t any added excitement in getting up early, so we set our own schedule. We plan to sleep in until whatever time suits us on Black Friday. We’ll just take it easy in the morning, confident that we won’t really miss anything by waiting until we’re ready.

Start with Good Coffee

My daughters have just recently been introduced to the wide range of coffee choices. They don’t drink coffee very often, so it’s a nice treat. Stopping to pick up a cup of the really good stuff on the way to the mall will be a great way to start our day.

Trade the Shopping List for a Scavenger Hunt

Since a lot of the stress of Black Friday is really in the shopping we decided not to do any! Instead, we’ll have a scavenger hunt through the mall. We’ll still get to see all the people and decorations and participate in the excitement, but we won’t have to worry about sales or prices or standing in lines. Everyone contributed to the list for our scavenger hunt and writing it was fun. Download a printable copy of our scavenger hunt here.

black-friday-scavenger-hunt

Set a Time Limit

Shopping (or not shopping) is exhausting, especially when there are tons of other people around. Setting a time limit is essential for making sure that the stress and crowds won’t negatively impact our entire day. We know that if we are reasonable with our schedule, our feet will thank us later.

Follow Up with Some Down Time

We’re planning to relax with popcorn and a family favorite holiday flick after our Black Friday adventure. I know a lot of moms go home for a nap after they complete their shopping. A nice hot bath is another sounds-too-good-to-be-true post Black Friday treat.

So, that’s it! That’s our plan for an amazing day-after-Thanksgiving this year. What do you think? Do you have some tips or tricks for your own Black Friday?