Shopping on Black Friday!

Ohmygoddess - I can't believe my sister and I actually went shopping today! We must be crazy! The mall was packed! We had a ball together. We're about the same size so we were able to comb the racks together for things in our size. I was on the hunt for new shoes and a few more mock turtlenecks or a sweater or two for myself. I bought two pairs of shoes, a new pair of cushy mittens, a new pair of brown slacks (my old ones wore out and I remembered I wanted a new pair), a scented Christmas candle and Christmas sweater for myself, and gifts for two people at the office that I got the most incredible deals on! Three wonderfully scented six-inch candles for one gift; and three highly decorated small wooden boxes for the other gift. The boxes cost $10 - unbelievable. The three scented candles cost me what one would normally cost and were around $10. My own scented candle was also on sale for 50% off and was under $5. I got the candles and the small decorated boxes at Pier 1 Imports; we also shopped at Boston Store and Kohls. My sister got a pair of shoes at Kohls, a top at Boston Store, and Christmas tree ornaments at Pier 1 Imports. We are both very happy - and exhausted! Since we had my sister's car (I do not drive or own a vehicle) I also took the opportunity to stock up on wine and liquor for the holidays and other large and/or bulky items that would otherwise have taken me several laborious trips home lugging a few items at a time. We started out shortly after 1:00 p.m. and were home by 4:30 p.m. I had enough time to toss some nuts and peanuts to the squirrels before the sun rushed below the horizon. The weather cooperated today, too. It was sunny and got above 40 this afternoon although the wind was brisk at times, causing some windchill. I finally pulled out the shovel and scraped down my driveway, and it was appreciably improved by the sun and relatively mild temperatures when we got back home from shopping. As much as 3 more inches of snow is forecast beginning this coming Sunday night so I wanted to get down to bare payment - the snow was not otherwise melting as quickly as I'd hoped and I didn't want more to shovel than necessary! I don't know about elsewhere in the country - judging from what I've seen on the news this evening there were crowds at stores all across the country today. Southridge Mall was packed - I do not believe I've ever seen it that crowded. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, though, which made navigating the crowds much more pleasant. There were lot of kids in the crowds - full families were out - mom, dad and kids. Besides "door buster" specials Boston Store had 20% off coupons in the newspaper which both my sister and I clipped (I used 2 of them). I received $20 worth of Kohls dollars as a result of my purchases at Kohls - only stipulation is that they must be spent at Kohls before or on December 6. It just so happens that my friend Ann and I are meeting for lunch at our favorite Olive Garden next Saturday, December 6, and will go shopping after lunch (Southridge Mall is very close by). I need socks and underware (har! Isn't that always what Grandma bought you as a kid). So those Kohls dollars will not go to waste. Pier 1 Imports, which is not part of the mall but is on the same grounds, was also busy and they had fantastic deals on Christmas decorations and ornaments, scented candles, and lots of other items. The candle I bought for myself is called something like "cranberry balsam" and the scent is absolutely delicious and evocative of the holidays. It is a beauty cranberry-ruby red color that will go perfectly with the living room decor. My sister and I have already made plans to shop the post-holiday sales, lol!