We are all familiar with Black Friday and many of us partake in the events of the day by waking up at the crack of dawn, waiting in long lines for good deals and trying to get a jump on the holiday shopping. I find it funny that the merchant term “black friday”, which derived from being the day of the year when retailers’ net income goes from red to black, has been adopted by consumers. If you think about it the term itself seems very morbid.

A new initiative started by American Express in 2010 is Small Business Saturday. Granted the term is not as creative as Black Friday, it is a great way to contribute to our local small businesses and economy. I arrived home late last night and plan to take part in Small Business Saturday by doing some Christmas shopping at Multnomah Village in southwest Portland.

And don’t forget to round out the few days of spending by taking part in Cyber Monday. Unless of course you work for me!