Not a single reader here at IZ needs to be reminded that the Season of the Consumer is on the horizon. Even during the recession of last season the message was loud and clear, pushing us to buy, buy, buy even if (ESPECIALLY if) we were broke, broke, broke. The urge to tipple practically became a bona fide need in Maslow Hierarchy for many of us, but we still managed to do it creatively, especially those of us born around this time of year ruled Scorpio and Sagittarius.

This year, in abject celebration of the very first Season I spend as the antithesis of consumerism, in my trailer, on the road (read: trailer trash), I will raise my glass high on one very particular calendar day, and with an appropriately snarky toast, recognize Black Friday.

Friday is named for Freya, a decidedly assertive goddess in the Teutonic pantheon who handled matters of love among many other responsibilities, and Friday is indeed a most beloved day for many working a traditional 9 to 5 work week. I know many couples who have a traditional date night each Friday. It is a time of rest and for unwinding from the previous week. Black Friday, however, is the opposite of the above sentiments, particularly for those in the 9 to 5 world. It should be noted that the word black is not used here to connote darkness or anything dismal, though as most retail salespeople would tell you it probably should be. In this context, black is used to refer to the fact that this day, above all others in the fiscal calendar, is the day mostly likely to put a business back in the black. In this sense, Black Friday takes its place at the very pinnacle of days devoted to Excessive Consumerism. It is the inception of the Yuletide Shopping Season. (photo: mary claire miraldi)

It is also the time of year where I take great pains to avoid going out into public amongst the holiday shoppers. All of you out there who share Ebeneezer Scrooge’s literary Sagittarian sign (What? NOT a Capricorn?!) are probably with me on this one. Not only are malls horrifying places to enter from this day forward until well past Twelfth Night the following January, but the parents toting weeping children to visit Santa are nearly unbearable to be around. No wild primate would ever groom another with the fierceness these parents visit upon their very bewildered kids. And never was there a time of year when parking lots are more likely to spawn Vince McMahon’s next big find.

The solution for me, the one that allows me to sleep at night and lend a helping hand to my own community, has always been to support local and small businesses by making thoughtful purchases that help pass on some good elsewhere. Since I live on the road, this takes the form of ordering handmade items from web collectives such as etsy.com or directly from creators such as our very own Gwen here at IZ. I also frequent antique malls, flea markets, and the often greatly underestimated church bazaars. By doing so, not only are you opting out of the mass market mentality, you’re refusing to participate in the care and feeding of corporate greed. What’s more, you can make the conscious choice to buy from purveyors and artists who will in turn give something back to the world we all live in together. Pay special attention to promotions from artisans that pledge a certain amount to a charity you support or other sorts of sustainable goodness. Being a consumer doesn’t mean you have to exclusively consume. You have a choice in the matter and can agree to participate in a transaction only if it meets all of your criteria.

Extra work? Yes. Worth it? Totally.

Especially since you can reward yourself with a wonderful little gem I like to call the Black Friday Antidote! As a Scorpio I am terribly vulnerable to clever advertising, which makes not having a television on the road a bright blessing indeed. The Black Friday Antidote is a wonderful sweet diversion that still allows me to feel pampered and materialistic as I troll the Internet to find and order handmade items direct from their creators. And since material comfort is all about the illusion of security, I don’t mind creating an illusion of that illusion with this particular drink. It makes it that much more delicious, this bit of Sagittarian inventiveness mixed with classic Scorpio pouty stubbornness.

BLACK FRIDAY ANTIDOTE

2 oz. chocolate vodka

1 1/2 oz. Irish cream

1 1/2 oz. chocolate liqueur (Godiva is fabulous but there are others available)

½ oz. pepper vodka (more or less, depending on taste)

Mix ingredients in a shaker and strain into an elegant glass. Garnish with a fine chocolate at the bottom of the glass. Whole Foods (or Wild Oats in some areas) has an astonishing chocolate counter these days. Lots of different flavors, shapes and sizes to choose from, for all of your excessive garnish needs!

For those who simply cannot stand the combination of spicy and sweet (and I know plenty of Scorpios who are extreme purists when it comes to flavors) try substituting ½ oz. of orange vodka for the pepper vodka.

Remember kids! Chocolate + Scorpio + Sagittarius = Intensely Tasty Experimentation! Preferably with a Loved One!

After Black Friday any sort of peppermint cordial becomes a more than acceptable substitute as well. I say “after” due to my own purist Scorpio tendencies because for me, the Yuletide season simply doesn’t begin until the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and my holiday cocktails will not be shaken until after the decorating is completed and available for viewing. Just sayin. Your mileage may vary.
More on Yuletide tippling next month, when Capricorn raises a goaty eyebrow at us on the Longest Night of The Year.

Cheers~Charon, The Most Dangerous Beauty Alive
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Charon Henning is one of a handful of female sword swallowers in the world today. She’s performed on carnival midways and at wine tastings, on theater stages and grassy lots.

Charon also reads tea leaves professionally, a skill she inherited from her grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. Tea-leaf reading is a wonderful and elegant form of entertainment, suitable for many time periods and venues.

Charon loves being on the road seeing new places and meeting new people. Want to catch Charon on the road for her live show? View her tour schedule here. Or, book Charon’s talent for your next event!