Farewell 2013

Greetings everyone and welcome to the near end of the year at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Wow, what a year and it seems to have flown by fast, too.  One moment we were welcoming 2013 and now here we are bidding it a fond farewell.  So much has happened this year, from the death of prominent persons to Miley’s train wreck of a performance at the VMAs. It’s amazing how as a society we can keep up with all of this information circulating throughout the globe and always being there for us to catch up on. Below are just a few notable topics from 2013.

4) Here Comes the Groom

This has been a good year for homosexual marriages. With tons of states approving it, wedding bells have chimed for many couples. Other places across the globe have also approved homosexual marriage, while others are still playing catch up or ignoring the rise of happy homosexual newlyweds.

3) Journey to the Red Planet

In August 2012, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars and showed us more than what our science classes did. This year the rover has released information about the red planet and based on what’s been revealed Mars could potentially qualify as a habitable planet. Along with this exciting knowledge, NASA has launched the MAVEN probe to understand Mars’ atmosphere. In the future, more crafts will be sent to Mars to analyze it better.

2)  Boston Marathon Bombing

The Boston bombing was a tragedy that shook the media and rocked the nation. Over 200 people were injured and even killed at the marathon on April 15^th, when two bombs exploded at the finishing line. While citizens were escorted away from the scene and rushed to the hospital, the entire city shut down until the terrorists were captured. Thankfully, they were able to find them scattered throughout Boston.

1)  Collapse of Healthcare.gov

No sooner this web site was launched it greeted people with glitches, cookies, viruses, and other problems. Originally supposed to be a marketplace for healthcare insurance, the site turned out to be quite a historical flop.  Not only was it an embarrassment for the government but it showed everyone that not all technology is perfect.

Well here’s hoping the new year to come will be better, filled with fortune and love for all, and be as memorable as 2013. Happy New Year’s everyone! Try not to get too hammered and have fun. 

Black Friday Be Gone!

For those of you who survived Black Friday and many others who chose not to venture out into the chaos, welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Black Friday is a yearly tradition where people camp outside stores just to trample others to get that perfect Christmas gift at a seemingly lower price. Over the years, I only marched out into the hostile crowds twice. During those times, I would often hear myths about Black Friday where people would murder each other or break down doors just to get what they need. Well today the myth has become reality. In Long Island, New York a Walmart worker was trampled to death. Apparently, the crowd burst through the doors, and stampeded the associate into the ground. Along with his demise, a pregnant woman was taken in for observation and a few other shoppers were treated for minor injuries. What’s even more terrifying than these tragic instances is the fact that there’s a Black Friday death count website, calculating all of those who have died just because people wanted to save on a Tickle Me Elmo.  

While Black Friday often falls on a Friday, it was pushed back this year to Thanksgiving. Other stores like Walmart pushed their Black Friday prices back to this previous Sunday so that people could attempt to avoid the madness. This was done to give the masses a time to shop before preparing for the biggest day of this week: Thanksgiving. However, most stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving at various times. Some welcomed the chaotic crowd in at midnight, others were up and running all day, and other stores invited everyone in at 6 pm; the perfect time when everyone would sit down to eat.  But for states like Massachusetts, they have created the Blue Laws which entail that Black Friday will begin on Friday, and not a day sooner.

These Blue Laws have also appeared in Rhode Island and were created with the intent of families celebrating Thanksgiving and not crowding at the doors of many stores.  It’s a great event for these specific rules to be formed and enforced upon society because it reminds them to do the following things:

1. Chill Out

Christmas will be here and gone but there’s still time to get all your holiday shopping done. If all else fails, then cyber shop. You will save money, gas, and time. Plus if you order as soon as possible, your stuff will arrive just in time for Christmas, and it’ll look like Santa delivered them to your house.

2. Thanksgiving

That holiday that comes before Christmas where you eat with friends and family. It’s also a time of reminiscing about that Black Friday when you didn't kill your neighbor for that Hot Wheels set your son or daughter wanted. Also, don’t forget the mountain of food. The tantalizing turkey, the crantastic cranberry sauce, the sublime sweet potatoes; they’re all waiting for you. Do not deny them by shopping and trampling others. Devour them.

3. It’s Not About Gifts

In this material infested world we often forget that sometimes money and gifts aren't everything.  Presents don’t always make Christmas but rather, the time you spend with people makes Christmas much more magical. Last year I didn't get that many presents but I was content with them. What made that Christmas special though was busting out the Wii and playing Pictionary for hours on end after a wonderful dinner with a great group of people.

Maybe those who were injured and killed in Long Island’s Walmart would still be with us today if they remembered these things. But now is the start of the holiday season where everyone must keep in mind that gifts aren't everything and relaxing is needed to ease the lunacy of society.

What was your worst Black Friday moment? Feel free to comment below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.