The little bit of holiday shopping we po’ folks are able to do was accomplished in a few hours, in a few stores, on a Monday after the official stampedes were over.  Call it Blackish Monday.  Avoid getting trampled to death in a Walmart, and still take advantage of ongoing sales in saner stores.  The coupons I had downloaded saved us even more money.  Now we’re done.  *not gloating*

Then, since we hadn’t eaten at all, we adjourned to Yassin’s for falafel.  Besides great authentic Middle Eastern food, we get to contribute to a worthy cause.  Yassin’s is the ultimate immigrant success story.  He came here from Syria with nothing, and now is enriching his community and hiring immigrants himself.  It’s a safe space for minorities of all kinds.