Black Friday

I have the Black Friday Blues. Seven hours of shopping with my sister, Jane, and several hundred dollars spent, and my dogs (and my wallet) are barking. We do this every year, and it's fun and productive, but it seriously wears me out.

We hit Romolo Chocolates first. Romolo's is one of three Erie Chocolatiers. The place hit the scene in 1994, and I think it's now my favorite. My former favorite is Pulakos 926 Chocolates, which I still absolutely love. Stefanelli's Chocolates is my third place pick. Honestly, though, any of these chocolates beat any I've had in the world. Yep. Even Belgium. I swear to God, I spent $165 at Romolo's today. None of it is for me: every bit of it is a Christmas gift for somebody.



Our next stop was a small department store where we bought a few things for Jane's kids. Then we hit the mall. The Millcreek Mall is the only one in Erie, and it was jam packed today. For the last two years, the place was dead on Black Friday, so I take today's activities as a sign of an economic upturn. I know I did my bit to turn around the economy today. So did several busloads of Canadians, for that matter. Believe it or not, Erie is a prime shopping destination for our neighbors to the north. Why would Toronto sophisticates drive three hours to a rustbelt city in another country to shop? Cheaper prices and no taxes on clothing. They seriously do come by the busload. Jane and I could have used a bus to haul our bounty home. We loaded up her minivan, had a bite to eat, and hit Target.

Seven hours after we started, we were back home, too exhausted to haul the bags out of the van. So we parked it in the garage, and came inside for a little rehabilitation in the form of leftover pie. For as much as I complain about my aching feet and empty wallet, I enjoy this tradition. It's a nice outing with my sister.


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