On November 25, I got up a little before 5 a.m. to go Black Friday shopping with a friend. I have done this for years with my cousins or parents either on the night before or the early morning of the big event. It has always been an interesting experience, although I have never seen any of the enormous, wildly chaotic crowds that are reported on TV or felt like I was in a shopping scene from Miracle on 34th Street. I think there are several practical ways to make Black Friday shopping simple and easy while still being faithful to Thanksgiving.

1. Be thankful.

Just because you go Black Friday shopping does not mean you automatically have to give up your beliefs about Thanksgiving. Instead, be careful to not let it take over or overshadow Thanksgiving day. Be thankful and enjoy spending the day with friends and family. If shopping on Thanksgiving night goes against your morals or makes you think you are not giving the day proper attention, then wait until it is actually Friday.

2. Be organized and make a list.

It is incredibly easy to become overwhelmed with the whole idea of shopping on Black Friday so what I tend to do is make a list of what Christmas presents I want to find. Another important and useful thing is to look through the ads and see which stores you want to shop at.

3. Be willing to search and dig deeper.

Because you are going to be shopping on the day that draws in such large crowds, it is essential to remember that you may not find everything on your list at the first store you visit. Remember to be patient and also look around. For example, if you are looking for the $20 boots you saw in the store ads (and it seemed almost every department store had a sale like that this year), keep searching until you find where they are.

4. Go with a friend.

Personally, I do not like to shop alone and find that it is much better to go with a friend so that I can have a second opinion (it is also a lot more fun in general). If you have a friend around, you can help each other look for things and also enjoy spending time together. I went with a good friend who I had not seen since this past summer and it was great to catch up and talk with her while going from store to store.

5. Have fun.

Enjoy yourself! If you are a shopping fanatic then you will definitely love Black Friday but even if you are not one there are other ways to have an entertaining time. It may be that you do not buy anything yet you are able to spend a day with your friends.

Black Friday shopping can sound daunting, yet it also can be a lot of fun. Whether it is searching high and low for just the right gift for a loved one or simply hanging out with friends and family, you are definitely guaranteed an interesting and exciting day.