Although Black Friday attracts millions of people to the stores, community member Jean-Francois Shahade has another tradition.
On Friday, Nov. 25, 152 million people rolled out of bed and spent $9.7 billion on Black Friday, according to Reuters and the National Retail Federation.
But not every American considers Black Friday a yearly tradition.
“I slept until [noon],” 19-year-old Jean-Francois Shahade said. “Then, I played football for four hours in the afternoon. The weather was great.”
Shahade, whose friends call him “Franswa,” was born to a French mother and Lebanese father. He was later adopted by a Swiss-German family who spent a year as missionaries in Chile. Despite his diverse cultural background, he said he knows how to enjoy an all-American Thanksgiving.
“My Thanksgiving was at my dad’s place with the whole family over,” Shahade said. “[The food] was amazing. The turkey was 20 pounds.”
Shahade said he recognized the true meaning of the holiday.
“We should really be thankful for each other,” Shahade said, adding that he wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
Sarah Elizabeth Guy can be reached at sarah.elizabeth.guy@temple.edu.
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