Black Friday used to live up to its name, happening only on Friday. But now, many Black Friday sales begin before the Thanksgiving turkey is even cool. 

Family time is precious, whether you’re traveling over the river and through the woods or just around the block. If you’re lucky enough to have the day after Thanksgiving off, enjoy it with loved ones by paging through photo albums, challenging them to a new board game or hanging out with your pets.

Let’s assume you’re limiting Black Friday to Friday, not Thanksgiving Day. If you want the best deals, you have to set your alarm for a freakishly early hour. Many stores open at 5 a.m. or earlier, necessitating a 3 or 4 a.m. wakeup time. Luckily there are tips and tricks for becoming a morning person. 

Here’s a good thing about having to work Black Friday: You’re so busy, the hours fly by. Here’s a bad thing: Demanding shoppers who just don’t understand that the much-hyped doorbuster deal sold out within three minutes, and that no, you aren’t hiding more “in the back.”

Trying to score the perfect toy for your kid or your first new TV in years can cause major stress on Black Friday. Emotions are heightened in Black Friday crowds, and public meltdowns can happen. 

Camping can be a wonderful experience, with s’mores, snuggly sleeping bags, and scary stories while gathered around … a Best Buy? Black Friday has given a whole new meaning to camping out.

In many states, mercurial November often makes getting to and from the stores a nasty experience. Temps could be low, and there could be snow or rough roads in some states.

Don’t expect to find that elegant designer handbag touting a slashed price on Black Friday. Those doorbuster TVs are likely to be off-brand, and good luck locating a deal on the most coveted smartphones. Brands that are the popular kids of the retail class don’t need Black Friday, and while they may tease some sort of deal to get you in the door, it’s usually small.

Save hundreds of dollars on a high-end TV? Only if you’re there early. Doorbuster deals may make Black Friday even more enticing, but stores have a very limited number of deals, and if you’re just a few minutes behind you could miss out. 

Online shopping has its flaws, but stacked up against the madness of Black Friday, the flaws may not look so bad. The ability to research and compare products online and to read buyer reviews are all perks of shopping online. You also could do it in your pajamas from your couch while eating doughnuts.

While some people commute by public transit, it’s still rough bringing home that 75-inch flatscreen TV on the subway. For the drivers, there are overstuffed parking lots, honking and a lack of spaces that can cause major stress before you even get into the store.

You don’t want to be caught in a situation where there is only one Xbox left, but two people barreling down the aisle. Competition is high inside the stores on Black Friday, and you don’t want to be reminded of the battle you endured every time a grandkid breaks out their new toy.

You’ve been in long checkout lines before. But Black Friday lines are not for amateurs. You may walk up and think you’re at the end of the line, but it could be swirling around several aisles for insane wait times.

To some, Black Friday is just a, well, Friday. Someone may need to run into a store to pick up a new suitcase for a weekend trip or that hard-to-find shampoo a visiting family member insists on. Long lines and stifling crowds make an average in-and-out job pretty difficult.

Thanksgiving itself is a holiday with a thoughtful sentiment: Give thanks for what you have and for the people who love you. The theme of the day could then take a quick turn, so try to remember those things for which you’re already thankful, and tamp down the buy, buy, buy impulse. Here are 30 ways you can show gratitude every day. 

More from The Active Times:

15 Things Every Smart Holiday Shopper Knows

Reasons Why You Should Do Your Black Friday Shopping Online

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The Best Warm-Weather Destinations to Spend the Holidays