Black Friday is here!

As some of us sleep, and others work, there are millions of Americans hitting the malls to score those early morning door buster sales that come only once a year on the day after Thanksgiving or "Black Friday" as it is called by many. "Black Friday" has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, however, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. By the early 1980s, an alternative theory began to be circulated: that retailers traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and made their profit during the holiday season, beginning on the day after Thanksgiving. When this would be recorded in the financial records, once-common accounting practices would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period where retailers would no longer have losses (the red) and instead take in the year's profits (the black).
The news media frequently refer to Black Friday as the busiest retail shopping day of the year, but this is not always accurate. While it has been one of the busiest days in terms of customer traffic. In terms of actual sales volume, from 1993 through 2001 Black Friday was usually the fifth to tenth busiest day. In 2002 and 2004, however, Black Friday ranked second place,and in 2003 and 2005, Black Friday actually did reach first place. The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) usually has been the Saturday before Christmas.

Now that I've offered a "mini history lesson" let me share some of the things on every "Southern Gal's shopping list"

1. Magnolia Lane Collection- perfect for tailgating in style, or hosting a game-day party at your home. http://magnoliaretail.cameoez.com

2. Personalized stamp from PSA ( www.psaessentials.com ) will make holiday card sending that much more fun!

3. A new "Southern" cookbook" that will inspire you in the kitchen all year long. See some of the top picks at http://www.amazon.com/Top-Southern-Food-Cookbooks/lm/3KU2BZ5WFR849

4. New Stationary- the gift that keeps giving! A great stationary set will allow you to write notes in style throughout the year. Check out some of my favorites at http://www.thestationerystudio.com//

and last but not least for that Southern Man or Gent on your list check out http://www.southernproper.com and snag that something special for the someone special in your life!