I agree that black Friday can bring out the worst in people, but I have found that most people show more patience on this day than any other. If I didn’t participate in black Friday, it just wouldn’t be the holiday season. I have been shopping the day after Thanksgiving for the past 30 years or so (and I’m not that old). I was 12, I think, the first time my mother dragged me out. It has become a family tradition. My mother, my 2 sisters, my husband and I all go together. Even our children are getting into the act now. We meet for lunch, and we’re done when we head back to our parents for a late pizza dinner. I can remember back to when the stores would open early, at 8:00 am. There would be about 10 of us sitting in our cars waiting for the doors to open. It has gotten progressively worse year after year. I don’t get my hopes up for the big ticket items, as I refuse to get up before 3:00 am:) Usually I pick up some good bargains for myself, go home and do most of my gift shopping on line. There’s no better way to get me in the Christmas spirit.