Black Tea Friday

Americano @ The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Phoenix Marketcity (Photo credit: Anil Wadghule)

Should it be Black Coffee Friday? What is it with this Black Friday thing? As far as I can tell, there’s nothing quite like a cup of black tea on a Friday morning, even if I drink a mug of hot water and lemon first thing – every day.

I can understand Thanksgiving as there is so much to be thankful for, as well as the pressing need to help those who are not blessed with the basic necessities. In fact, we should have Thanksgiving here in the UK. That’s one American tradition that should be essential.

However, there are Americans who have moved over here, often like my awesome wife marrying Brits, and they have brought all the Thanksgiving spirit and trimmings with them. Forget McDonalds and KFC, I want Thanksgiving. Maybe it’s all because the colonies left us in such a hurry, just when we needed such wonderful festivities? And what about all that wasted tea? Is that the problem, no tea?

Or is it time to send the Redcoats back so the Queen can sack Congress? Or should she start closer to home?

English: Oven roasted turkey, common fare for Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But what about these Black Friday Extravaganzas springing up everywhere like weeds?

I suppose that means that I can’t go on burying my head in the crossword, or my writing. The Black Friday mentality wasn’t over here in the UK… until now. We’re having riots in Asda as it has introduced Black Friday, as have other businesses catering to the goods obsession in the run-up to Christmas.

I’m not surprised at Asda leading the till ringing, not when Walmart owns the UK superstore. My step-daughter-in-law is one of the many Walmart employees that are denied Thanksgiving by having to work on a day when traditionally all businesses were closed. In fact the only families that Walmart cares about seems to be those who spend spend spend to support the current Walton family. Old Sam Walton must be boring himself through to the other side of the world.

English: Statue of Sam Walton and his dog outside of Wal-mart in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, that money ethos has been rife in the UK for years as well. The January Sales have existed for decades and are our equivalent of Black Friday – with the same mad, mob mentality. But that was just the beginning. We now have the unstoppable growth of 24/7 online shopping, Christmas starting earlier and earlier each year, and sadly the real message of the Christmas festival is vanishing fast.

Is this commercialisation of the sacred destroying the core of other faiths? Is it just in those countries that celebrate Christmas?