Green Friday

There's almost nothing that could induce me to wake up extra early the day after Thanksgiving to rush around in a crowded shopping mall or big-box store fighting for mega-deals. Maybe I would do it if the stores offered to pay me to shop, maybe. But probably not.

Instead, we've created our own day-after tradition that involves sleeping in a little, rushing around to pack lunches and find all the warm snow clothes and sleds, piling into the van and heading up to the mountains to cut our Christmas tree.

It's much more fulfilling than finding the best deal on the latest electronic device. I'd even argue that it's the best deal around. For a $5.00 permit fee, we can cut any size and type tree we want. Compare that to $8.00/foot that the local tree farm charges, and we saved $67.00 on a 9 foot tree, or 93%. I don't think any stores around here had sales that good!

And we got to spend a beautiful day in the mountains playing in the snow with good friends. Can't buy that!