I’ve had my share of Black Friday adventures, especially with toddlers in tow. One year, when my oldest two children were just three and four, we made an impromptu trip to that store with the big red bulls-eye late in the afternoon. The scene was a craze of shoppers rushing for deals, with the automatic entrance doors in a perpetual state of “open”; but things took a turn when an employee handed me a scratch-off ticket at the door. To my surprise, I was the one millionth customer! The prize: a giant toy box filled with $1,000 worth of gifts.
Like most young families, our budget was stretched tight. You can imagine the excitement and relief my husband and I experienced at our windfall. Our little family was stunned; and yet, while the kids were eyeing the treasure chest in wonder, we saw this as a perfect opportunity to teach them about sharing. We let each child pick one toy, and then we donated the rest to a local toy drive on our way home. I won’t lie— I was tempted to hold on to more than we did! But our small car and house—too small for all this free stuff—helped us learn a lesson in charity in a world where it’s easy to get caught up in Black Friday’s consumerism.
As Catholics, we know that materialism isn’t the goal—Christian stewardship is, and that requires generosity. The Church teaches that detachment from material goods isn’t about rejecting the things we need, but about prioritizing what really matters: spiritual wealth and helping others. The virtue of temperance reminds us to enjoy material blessings without letting them control us. So, while there’s nothing wrong with snagging a good deal on Black Friday, we need to ask ourselves: Am I buying things I truly need, or am I just caught in the frenzy of more, more, more?
The Church calls us to practice responsible stewardship, which means using our resources—whether financial, material, or spiritual—for the good of others and the glory of God. On Black Friday, this can mean skipping that extra gadget we don’t need and focusing on acts of charity, generosity, and investing in relationships that build up our spiritual lives.
Maybe my kids were too young to really learn the lesson at the time or even remember it, and maybe we don’t give nearly as much as we did that fateful Advent season . . . but in a world that shouts, “Buy more to be happy,” our Lord gently whispers, “True happiness comes from giving, not getting” (Acts 20:35). Let’s bring that message to Black Friday this year!