Last year, my son invited my husband and I to spend Thanksgiving with him. We live in the northern region of the country, right along the border. In November, the weather is normally quite cold, and we usually have the furnace running. My son moved down south, where it is hot and sunny all year round. Instead of snow and freezing temperatures on Thanksgiving, the temperature was in the low eighties. We wore short sleeves and appreciated the air conditioning. The following morning, the whole family went Black Friday shopping. I’m accustomed to bundling up in heavy boots and sweaters and spending the day in an overheated and stuffy mall. At the shopping center down south, each store has an independent entrance to the outside. As we walked from store to store, we were exposed to the elements. The day was extremely hot and humid. All of the stores were heavily air conditioned, with a constant flow of freezing cold air from the vents. It was such a relief to step inside, and we tended to linger. I definitely spent more time in each store because of the air conditioning. I can’t even imagine how much it costs to maintain such ideal indoor temperatures when the door to the outside is repeatedly being opened. These stores must run the air conditioning all year long, an expense that certainly impacts their overhead. However, I far prefer the ability to step outside and get some fresh air. This was a much more pleasant experience than shopping inside a giant mall, with the commercial heating system blasting. We weren’t forced to wear winter boots or carry our heavy coats around with us. We ate lunch at an outdoor patio, and were not half as exhausted at the end of the day.