Best Ways To Avoid The Madness of Black Friday

So, it's almost here. The day that has become synonymous with deep discounts, massively long lines, and normally mild mannered shoppers completely losing their minds. That's right, I'm talking about the latest and, to some, greatest of U.S. Holidays...Black Friday.

For me it has become a day to stay at home or look for alternative ways to enjoy the day. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good deal. But Black Friday has become that day that turns every mall in America into some lost scene from the movie Dawn of the Dead. It's just too much chaos to deal with in-person. So join me in giving in to the post-turkey daze and just saying no to the zombie hordes running wild through the aisles of your local Wal-Mart.

Here are just a few ways you can spend those 24 hours away from the madness of the shopping center.

• Shop Online - I plan to enjoy quite a few Black Friday savings specials from the comfort of my couch. Shopping for deals online is the number one alternative to fighting with strangers for the right to buy that new HDTV or standing on long lines in the cold waiting for the Midnight sale to begin outside your favorite clothing store. With many merchants offering free shipping on most standard orders and deals including free or discounted merchandise, shopping from home in relative tranquility is the best way to go. Check out our Black Friday deals as a starting point.  
• Exercise - Instead of running to your car to beat the demolition derby traffic in the K-Mart parking lot, why not break out the P90X or hit the gym to make room for more turkey and pie later that night? The best thing about going for a run is that it is free. Also, going to the gym on this day will be like no other in that most people who would usually take up all the good machines will be cursing themselves somewhere else wondering if they really needed to be up at 4am to get 50% off venetian blinds. 
• Movie Marathon anyone? - Fire up the hot cocoa, draw the curtains, grab the blankets (or if you're on the West Coast kick off the flip-flops and slide into your favorite board shorts), and spend the day watching a marathon of your favorite movies or television shows. Whether you go down to the video store to rent them or just go through everything that's collected on your DVR, this is an awesome way to spend what should be a lazy day anyway. One of the things I like to do is go through my DVD collection and get a few movies together to make up my own box-set or theme for the day. So whether you want to binge on every season of the Office or watch the 9-plus hours of greatness that is the Godfather back-to-back-to-back settle in and create your own personal theater. Just don't forget the popcorn.  Extra butter is optional.
• Hobby time - Lastly, my suggestion would be to work on your favorite hobby. If you are an artist, draw and paint the day away. Work on that 4,000 piece puzzle that's been collecting dust in your closet. Get cracking on those model airplanes that you've always wanted to finish. Whatever you enjoy doing to kill the time, this is the perfect day to just go ahead and do it. Just remember to smile as you work on your garden thinking of your neighbors as they try to figure out which items to cut so that they can join the express line.

So what are your favorite things to do while everyone is fighting over that last Snuggie in aisle five? Let's keep this going and blow out the discussion in the comments section below. Most importantly of all--if you should venture out beyond the quarantine line--have fun and (in my best Sgt. Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues voice) "Hey--let's be careful out there!"