Give Your Holiday Gifts a Second Chance

Each year, Black Friday is the Olympics of stuff, where a three-second delay getting through the door could be the difference between getting that $50 flat panel TV (that they probably only have four of, honestly), and making the last 24 hours you spent huddled in a cold tent in the box-store parking lot a complete waste of your time.

Been there. Done that. Next.

Here’s a little holiday shopping word to the wise: it’s all just stuff. And LOTS of places have stuff. Including Goodwill!

And because we have already created buzz around Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, why not fill in the only day after Thanksgiving that’s been sadly overlooked in the moniker department?  That’s why right here, today, before all of my blogosphere witnesses, I propose Second Chance Sunday–when everyone goes to Goodwill and finds the most awesome gifts ever!

Not only is it a great place to find awesome gifts for just about anyone on your list, there’s also festive dishware for your holiday table, trees to brighten your front window, ornaments to give it some sparkle and even lighted yard decorations to annoy delight your neighbors.  I’ve seen some pretty fantastic holiday fare on my thrifty travels, like the Buffalo Bills fan snowman wreath I spotted in the St. Joseph store just last weekend. Or the Christmas Cactus I spotted at a Goodwill in Albuquerque.

My point is this–the holidays are about giving, not spending. Give your time to family instead of spending hours waiting in the early morning darkness for a dirt-cheap tech toy that will be obsolete in two months anyway.

The bonus here is that when you give the gift of secondhand from Goodwill, you’re also giving someone in your community a chance to start fresh in the New Year. And that’s the best gift any of us could ask for.

So put the ice on those Black Friday bruises and join me at Goodwill on Sunday.  It’s the ‘All Thrifty’ way to have a great holiday!