Bob Schwartz

Note: #GivingTuesday is next week.

Many holidays have been commercialized. But almost all of them struggle to maintain some semblance of their higher purpose and original meaning. Thanksgiving is still about diverse and somewhat antagonistic neighbors and strangers peacefully getting together for a big meal. Christmas is still about the arrival of someone who brings goodness and light to the world. The same abiding of meaning goes for Founding Fathers (July 4^th) and mothers (Mother’s Day)

Black Friday is different. It is exclusively about commerce. The dark name signifies the start of the shopping season that determines whether retailers have a profitable year (be “in the black”). You can look behind the commercial for the true meaning of other holidays. The only thing behind Black Friday is buying. The only way to celebrate Black Friday is to buy things—hopefully at deep discounts.

Some will say this misses the point. Buying on Black Friday is only the preliminary step to gifting on Christmas. Buying cheaper means being able to buy more gifts for more people. That’s what the spirit of Christmas is really about.

Here is a thought for those who participated in Black Friday, in stores or, as is now common, online. Add up all the money you saved by getting Black Firday deals. Donate that amount to the charity of your choice. (Given that Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, food banks are one suggestion).

Next Tuesday is #GivingTuesday, a holiday more attuned to the spirit of the season. Americans are expected to spend $90 billion shopping on Black Friday and on the newer holiday of Cyber Monday. If you conservatively guess that shoppers saved just 10% on their purchases, that adds up to savings of $10 billion for those shoppers. So if Black Friday shoppers donated their $10 billion in savings on #GivingTuesday, the meaning of Black Friday would be radically transformed