Dear Fellow Americans,

[kimblebee]

sorry, double post.

[marmalade]

Pay all your bills and responsibilities first before you spend money you can't afford on Christmas gifts.

Do not supply your kids with gifts way beyond your means and then come crying to me that your electric is going to be shut off and you need to borrow money.

[lovin'fl]

A lane that's about to merge is for folks who have been in that lane to merge and should be done as soon as possible...don't zip up the merge lane from way behind the pack just to get ahead of folks...the merge lane is not your personal 'don't have to wait with others' lane and this action causes traffic to back up.

Don't park curbside at a store even if you are 'just running in for 1 thing' and definitely don't park and wait on your passenger to run in and do extensive shopping (I see folks doing this and coming out with bags of stuff, not just 1 item). Park in the dang parking lot with the rest of us and walk your butt into the store. Curbside is not your personal parking spot.

Don't park your family's 3 or 4 cars out on the street where the neighbor across the street also does this, leaving us only a tiny bit of room to drive by (making it oh so fun when there's a car coming towards you at the same time).

[Bob NC]

That lane in the middle with the arrows painted on it? It's a TURN lane, not a MERGE lane.

[PollyannaMom]

Oh, I like this. Not holiday specific at all, but the "right turn on red after stop" sign also implies after the people across from you with the green turning arrow. You do still have a red light, and they do still have a green.

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Originally Posted by fall08CP

Glad I use public transit; I've forgotten what road rage is! Be safe out there, everyone!

Me 2 and my 2 cents is move all the way to the back unless u r actually disabled I hate when the bus has to stop so the able bodies can move to the back for the wheel chairs it just makes the bus run even further behind then it already was.

[ENSOCK]

And please do not be rude. Do not stop in the middle of the aisle with your 4 kids blocking the way so you can ask the other lady how "momma and dem doing"! After shopping in Walmart yesterday, I am not looking forward to Black Friday shopping.

[Becky2005]

Originally Posted by PollyannaMom

Oh, I like this. Not holiday specific at all, but the "right turn on red after stop" sign also implies after the people across from you with the green turning arrow. You do still have a red light, and they do still have a green.

I will add this goes for pedestrians!!! If you are waiting to cross and you get a left green turn Arrow -- don't start crossing!!! You still have a Don't Walk signal & just makes us turning left lose our arrow (which at rush hour pretty much means 1 or 2 cars possibly get through the light instead of the 3 or 4 that could!).

[Andtototoo]

Originally Posted by ENSOCK

And please do not be rude. Do not stop in the middle of the aisle with your 4 kids blocking the way so you can ask the other lady how "momma and dem doing"! After shopping in Walmart yesterday, I am not looking forward to Black Friday shopping.

Just had this happen to me in Boston Store this afternoon. It continually amazes me how people can be so self absorbed that they do not even notice people walking up to them and stopping short.

[kaytieeldr]

Originally Posted by PollyannaMom

Oh, I like this. Not holiday specific at all, but the "right turn on red after stop" sign also implies after the people across from you with the green turning arrow. You do still have a red light, and they do still have a green.

That the law is "right turn on red after stop".

[Jedana]

Originally Posted by marmalade

Pay all your bills and responsibilities first before you spend money you can't afford on Christmas gifts.

Do not supply your kids with gifts way beyond your means and then come crying to me that your electric is going to be shut off and you need to borrow money.

I have a sister and she does this. (Also, her adult kids do this, so apparently she passed on this gene.) Always has. She would also apply to all sorts of places to get things for the kids at Christmas. Yes, there is help there---but perhaps if you stopped smoking a pack a day each and stopped drinking 2 cases of beer a week.........

In 2009, both DH and myself were laid off. If it wasn't for the company he was temping for, my kids wouldn't have had a Christmas that year. My sister--same year---took out payday loans to pay her electric, phone, and rent because she spent her paycheck and her DH's disability check on Christmas.

In 2010, we were ok, and managed to scrape together a small Christmas (he was still temping, and they gave him a bonus, which covered the holiday). My sister and her oldest daughter both got new credit cards, ran them up for presents, then defaulted.

Last year, we were doing pretty well. DH has a FT job again, and we're back to getting it together. Still not as big as some of the Christmases we had when the girls were little, but well enough that DS got most of what he wanted. My sister and her oldest son both, once again, spent rent money on Christmas and then had to move in with the oldest daughter.

This year, my Christmas money went on having to move. (Yes, I'm glad the landlord is coming home safe, after 10 years of being military ...but I still wish he could be coming home safe in February or March...just personal frustration there.) So, my adult DDs won't see a present from us until February, and DS will get a very small holiday from Santa (and promises with more to come from mom and dad in January). My sister, and her two adult DDs...have already used November's rent money for the one DD for presents..leaving her and her two sons to move in with sis...and plan to use the other DD's December paychecks for more...leaving her to move in with either sis or the oldest son.

[apirateslifeforme]

When you're angrily stomping out of Target for whatever reason, don't come up behind someone in a cashier line and say, "Jesus Christ, will you get out of my way," then physically shove them up against the soda cooler...especially when that person was already doing her best to stay off to the side but remain in the line.

This actually happened to me yesterday...

[nd5056]

Originally Posted by Muushka

...Oh, and for the record, I would love to speed too. But I try to follow the speed limit. So get off my bumper.

Just simply follow this rule:

Originally Posted by kaytieeldr

4. The left lane on a multi-lane highway is the passing lane, not the "drive the same speed as the vehicles to your right and don't worry about all those cars/buses stacked up behind you" lane.

[StephMK]

Originally Posted by apirateslifeforme

When you're angrily stomping out of Target for whatever reason, don't come up behind someone in a cashier line and say, "Jesus Christ, will you get out of my way," then physically shove them up against the soda cooler...especially when that person was already doing her best to stay off to the side but remain in the line.

This actually happened to me yesterday...

Hopefully you weren't hurt.

Not specific to holidays but this has happened to me recently. If you are stopped at an intersection by a stop sign, do not assume every intersection is a 4 way stop. OR actually read the sign under the stop sign that specifically says, traffic does not stop in all directions.

I have almost been hit twice in our neighborhood by cars pulling out in front of me. I don't have a stop sign and am making no signs of stopping or turning, why do you think you suddenly have the right of way???

Also, if you are at an intersection with 3 lanes, read the signs. One lane is a left turn, the middle lane goes straight, and the right lane is for turning right. It's very clear there are not 2 left turn lanes. Do not drive up (first, no less) in the middle lane and put your left signal on.

Then when we all honk at you because we can't go straight on green because there is a red turn light and you're not moving, don't try to correct your mistake by turning left anyway and almost hitting oncoming traffic going straight. At the same time, if you are the lone car actually in the left turn lane with the red left turn light, why would you go too?

[FlightlessDuck]

The other option is to shop online, or make all your gifts be donations in people's names.