Time to hunt down those holiday bargains

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November 20, 2009

BY CHIP MINEMYER The Tribune-Democrat Fri Nov 20, 2009, 11:17 AM EST

We are once again approaching that magical time of year, when a long, sleepless night opens into an early morning filled with promise and anticipation.

Christmas?

Not quite yet.

But the feelings of expectation are certainly growing.

Yes, the preparations are well under way for that big hunt.

Plans have been mapped out.

The best spots have been scouted.

You are locked and loaded and the quarry is in your sights.

You will toss and turn throughout the night, anxiousness and nervousness controlling your mind because something special awaits you as light breaks over the horizon.

And when the big morning comes, there is nothing like the feeling you get standing there in the cold and dark, rubbing your chilled hands together and hoping for a shot at the big prize.

Deer season?

No, I’m talking about Black Friday.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving Day – also known as the day we red-blooded Americans gulp down some turkey and mashed potatoes then begin to pore over the newspaper circulars and get ready to race out in the wee hours of the morning to get the jump on our gift buying.

Ah, the spirit of the holidays!

We can’t seem to wait to hunt down the best deals at area malls and retail centers.

Indeed, many Black Friday shoppers have learned a thing or two from their real hunting counterparts.

Although they won’t be dressed in blaze orange (not many of them anyway), shoppers will be moving in groups like hunters on a drive.

And like hunters, shoppers are charging up the two-way radios and piling up the cell-phone minutes.

Soon the early-morning coffee will be brewing. (Well, maybe a latte or espresso ...)

Shoppers also are clearing a special spot on the front porch for that other great holiday tradition: The Thanksgiving Day newspaper.

Loyal readers will recall my “thud” column of a few years back.

In that almost award-winning piece, I told you how the Thanksgiving paper is the biggest paper – by weight and number of pages – each year.

That means the Thanksgiving edition has the year’s greatest “thud” factor – a reference to the sound it makes landing on your porch in the morning.

The New York Times once boasted that its Thanksgiving paper weighed 10 pounds. A turkey that size could feed a family of six with the neighbors invited over!

We’re hoping our package this Thursday tops four pounds, which is still pretty hefty. The size of a medium chicken – stuffed and basted.

When you pick up that Thanksgiving edition (watch your back!), you’ll be getting a Holiday gift-buying guide, some 30 or more store inserts, and lots of other ads tucked into our pages – here, there and everywhere.

And although our Thanksgiving issue only comes around once a year, it’s definitely worth the weight ... er, wait.

Happy hunting!

Chip Minemyer is the editor of The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5091.

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