In the US, the day after Thanksgiving (which was, supposedly, started by the expatriate English Pilgrims who came ashore at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in 1620 to give thanks for everything they had, so, therefore, mostly a US/Canada holiday, and a significant one, as most non-retail people get two days off from work) is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. It is absolutely nuts. It's really kind of embarrassing.
If you go and listen to the Indians at Plymouth Plantation, they'll tell you the story of Thanksgiving. I can't remember the exact detail but basically Thanksgiving started as a festival to give thanks for the summer harvest, and held much earlier in the year, ie when the harvest was completed. The reason for it being so late now is that somebody decided that November needed a shopping season and had it moved.

Seriously.
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