By Chris Cosci

Whether it's eating turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, or sitting in front of the television watching the Macy's Parade or a football game, Thanksgiving is filled with traditions. It's when families get together and spend time with one another. It's a chance to relax and enjoy a wonderful meal.

Then there's the day after Thanksgiving, which has its own tradition associated with it - Christmas shopping.

Christmas products have been out on display in stores for weeks. The stores got an even earlier jump that usual this year and started well before Halloween. When I went to pick pumpkins this year, the farm stand was selling Halloween decorations, like scarecrows and bats, next to snowmen and Santa Clauses. For years it's seemed that stores were trying to let Christmas overthrow Thanksgiving. Now, they're after Halloween. Labor Day is next.

But that's not my point. My point is that the day after Thanksgiving has become known to most people as the official start of the holiday shopping season. This usually also includes Hanukkah, but that starts two days after Thanksgiving this year. So unless people plan on doing all of their Hanukkah shopping the day before it starts, there won't be a lot of post-Thanksgiving Hanukkah shoppers this year. Of course, many people are known for waiting until Christmas Eve to buy Christmas presents, so maybe there will be a lot of Hanukkah shoppers on Friday.

But I won't know because you're not going to find me anywhere near a shopping center that day. I try not to leave the house the day after Thanksgiving. I'm perfectly content sitting around the house and doing absolutely nothing. No, I won't get anything accomplished. Yes, I'll still have plenty of holiday shopping to do afterwards. But I'll at least have the comfort of not being engulfed by the entire population of Long Island.

On Friday, billions of people will be heading out to the stores in droves. The roads will be packed with cars filled with people hoping to get all of their shopping done on that one day. Finding a parking spot at the mall will be like finding a store that sells Kwanzaa decorations.

One day, these people are sitting around their homes, relaxing and enjoying a holiday. The next, they're cramming into department stores, standing on lines that wrap around for miles, and fighting over the last Barbie doll on the shelf. It's the biggest shopping day of the year. Why do people torture themselves like this? Is it really worth all the effort and stress?

Of course, there are some people who think they have the perfect solution. These are the people who tell you they have all of their shopping done already. Let me just say for the record that this is not normal. You want to grab these people and shake them until they cave in and promise to wait until December next year like everyone else. Instead, you politely say, "wow! I wish I was that prepared."

Then, like me, you probably say to yourself, "next year, I'm going to have all of my holiday shopping done by August. In fact, I'm going to start shopping in January, when all of the holiday stuff goes on sale." And do you do it? No. Why? Because you're normal - and normal people do not finish their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.

To preserve my sanity (however much I have), I try my hardest to follow two rules during the holiday season. One, avoid going to a mall on the weekend like the plague. Two, do not go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Although I will occasionally break the first rule, the second rule is written in stone.

Nonetheless, whatever you choose to do is up to you. In any case, have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!