The official shopping season for Christmas began on Black Friday. I don't see the point in opening stores on Thanksgiving night when people are in a food coma. Personally, I won't brave the crowds on that day or on Black Friday. I can watch the fights unfold on television or on YouTube. I rather order off of Amazon, Overstock, and Barnes and Noble for presents, not yank someone's hair out of their scalp for a smart phone or a flat-screen TV.
I can go to a dollar store for the cheap stuff to give to my friends and family. I can wait for the after-Christmas sales to buy what I want to get
