The Friday after Thanksgiving has served as the unofficial beginning of the traditional Christmas season since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924. But the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s, having originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black or turning a profit. The news media frequently refer to Black Friday as the busiest shopping day of the year in the US.

While Black Friday is not an official holiday, many employees take the day off, which increases the number of potential shoppers. Weeks beforehand, most stores decorate for the Christmas season and stock up on merchandise. Many retailers open very early (typically 5am or even earlier) and offer blockbuster deals to attract people to their stores. In many cities, shoppers line up hours before stores with big promotions open.

IT’S that time of the year again—celebrated by Americans, but feared by most turkeys.  Thanksgiving is probably one of the most celebrated holidays here in the United States, because it has the festiveness of Christmas, without the worry and stress of gift giving.  Last year was my first Thanksgiving, and it amazed me how important the day is not only for Americans, but also for Filipinos who have assimilated themselves in the culture.

Still, no matter how American Thanksgiving Day is, us Filipinos always find a way to inject our own culture to everything we do regardless of where we are in the world.