Thanksgiving and Black Friday

      This has always been a favorite holiday of mine. When I was younger and living in Ridgewood we would always have tremendous meals of turkey with all the trimmings and pumpkin pie made from scratch by my mother. Now I am the one making the turkey and the pies for my family and this process brings me as much joy as simply eating them use to. The Ridgewood High School football team used to play in Fairlawn on Thanksgiving but a quick look at the schedule had them in Paramus yesterday, another old rival. There used to be a tradition at the High School where the effigy of "Freddie Fairlawn" was burned the day before the game. I wonder who they burn these days to fire up the faithful and show school spirit? I liked this holiday also because there was always the last lingering bit of autumn in the air, a crispness without being too cold to be outside. The calendar may have stated that autumn had another month to go but we knew from experience that winter was upon us. It's funny how we didn't know what Black Friday meant in terms of its significance to retail shoppers everywhere in these United States. Back then all it meant was a day off from school and maybe the chance to play some football. Ignorance was bliss and who cared if we missed a deal on a Tickle Me Elmo doll or an I-Pod?