You won't be surprised to learn that shopping is NOT on my agenda today. With each passing year, I am less enthused about the material aspect of the holidays. At age 55, I have all the stuff I want, and if there is stuff that I truly need, I get it for myself when finances allow.

I'm calling today White Friday, because I won't be adding any black ink to merchants bottom line. Instead I'll be helping put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree decorations (Connor loves looking at the multi-colored lights), taking our official Christmas card portrait, going for a walk to the park down the street, and tending baby as needed.

In a short while we'll be driving my husband to the airport as he wends his way home to Detroit (boo-hoo). We'll all miss him. He's developed a rapport with Connor that we count on as the last resort (besides nursing of course) when the Babe gets cranky. Yesterday morning, Connor listened with rapt attention to his grandfather's long discourse on subjects ranging from backyard swings to the nature of gravity to the proper way to manage people when supervising a project.

Those are the special moments that put the black ink in my profit and loss statement.

So how are you spending your post-Thanksgiving Friday? Are you in the "white"?