November 26, 2010 | 1:27 pm

Black Friday Bargains, Exhaustion, Return of Mom & the Value of a Blanket

Posted by Ilana Angel

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I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I certainly did.  I went with my son to one of his best friend’s home.  It was a magnificent meal, with wonderful people, and I could not have enjoyed myself more.  It was really terrific and I feel blessed my son and I were included in the festivities.

We arrived to dinner around 3:30 and left at 9:00.  We got home at 9:20, relaxed for a few minutes, then bundled up and headed out for a trek to the outlet mall for some Black Friday fun.  After we spent about 30 minutes looking for a parking spot, the madness, I mean the fun, began.

We went to a total of four stores in six hours and my son got everything on his list.  We had a little routine that worked brilliantly.  I mean if you consider me waiting in line for an hour to pay, while he did his shopping, then him coming to front of the line with piles of stuff, then yes, brilliant.

With each successful mission he would hug me, tell me he loved me, and I was the best.  Some will think it’s ridiculous to stay up all night, waiting in line for a pair of shoes whose sale price is what the actual price should be, but not me.  It makes him happy and he will always remember we did it.

If there was even a fraction of a second where I thought I was crazy for shopping in the middle of the night, when we got home and he was unpacking his stuff in his room, laying it all out like it was fragile and priceless, that all goes away. I will remember his joy always.

We got home around 7 this morning and I’m very, very tired.  I’m off to work with literally no sleep, and would be so happy I worked as a mattress tester and my day was packed full of sleep.  Sadly it’s not and so I’m working and counting down the hours until I can go home to bed.

It will be a late night however because tonight my mother gets into town from Canada.  I will be a zombie by the time I go pick her up at LAX.  When I booked her ticket I knew I was taking my boy shopping and could have just booked her in on Saturday so I could rest and get her tomorrow.

The thing is, I love her and as tired as I knew I would be, it was more important that I wake up tomorrow and have her safely in my home, than wake up and go get her.  One more night with my Mom here is more valuable than a little sleep.  That could be my sleep deprivation talking.

I am looking forward to waking up tomorrow with the two people I love the most in life here with me, my son and my mother.  By morning of course I mean around 3:00 in the afternoon.  Those two better stay away from my room and let me sleep in.  I love them but if they get me up early, it’s war.

For those of you who braved the shopping that is Black Friday 2010, I hope you got everything you wanted and scored some killer deals.  Enjoy your new treasures and remember those who are less fortunate because if you share what you have, you will be given more than you ever imagined.

As we ran around yesterday, my son and I had a bog with 4 blankets in the car.  When we came upon a homeless person on a corner, we gave them a blanket.  It’s been so cold and a blanket makes a huge difference.  I believe it was our sharing that allowed my son to find all the things he wanted.

The holidays are about more than shopping.  It’s about sharing and giving and when something so simple can give another human being hope, then it’s magic.  Be safe, happy, and giving.  Not only with those you love, but with strangers.  Having a little faith, and sharing a little faith, allows you to keep the faith.