Black Friday used to be just the best excuse to get a favorite fancy coffee drink in the hugest size. It was the first day where it was officially acceptable to put on holiday music, and a nap before noon was imminent. Electronics were never cheaper, cutting in line was the norm for the day and glitter was everywhere.

We all know this still goes on, but we at MDG also know we aren’t alone in thinking that Black Friday has, in recent years, been taken to another level. Big stores are opening earlier and earlier, some opening now at Thanksgiving dinnertime. They stay open until the wee hours, if they close at all. People getting trampled to get a discounted TV? Madness.

Some stores are happily breaking with tradition by not opening at all on Black Friday. REI is collectively asking us out, encouraging us to leave those florescent lights in our dust and to #OptOutside. Others, like Patagonia, are donating 100% of their sales today to small environmentalist groups. Small Business Saturday is a great alternative to the zoo that is Black Friday. Denver-based Feral Mountain Co. was just selected by GearJunkie.com as one of the Best Independent Gear Shops in the USA. They also aren’t open today and recently opened their online shop, just in time for Cyber Monday. (Psst… be sure to check out our shop too.)

However you choose to partake (or not partake) in these shopping days, we at MDG wish you a happy holiday weekend!

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Is it just us or is Thanksgiving coming WAY too early this year? Perhaps all the excitement of the last month or so made it go by so fast. The election was a little over a week ago, Halloween seems like it was yesterday and the weather has been too all over the map for us to settle into the season of giving thanks. Plus, there was that weird stint with the scary clowns. But let’s get in the spirit, shall we?

Some of us will be thankful for the beautiful meal we can lay out in front of our families—and those families will be just as thankful for the meal that we’ve lovingly prepared for them all day. Others will be thankful for the ability to cater a holiday meal to satisfy a party of twelve, including the preferences of sweet potato casserole AND mashed potatoes with giblet gravy. Still others will greet all guests arriving for Friendsgiving and whisk away to the kitchen favorite pumpkin pies, bowls of salad and plates of balsamic-glazed Brussels sprouts. But whether your meal is a party of two or a potluck, your table should be both dressed up for the occasion and make guests feel at home.

Here are MDG’s favorite dinner table accessories.

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However you choose to partake (or not partake) in these shopping days, we at MDG wish you a happy holiday weekend!

Here are MDG’s favorite dinner table accessories.

marlena design group llc - 100 S. Madison St. Denver, CO. 80209