Some things get so far gone they come home again. So it is with early Christmas shopping.

The day after Thanksgiving was always big for the shopping season. After all, it was a weekday when nearly everyone had off of work. Something happened within the last 30 years in which Black Friday became a mania. People would line up hours early outside the stores, which would offer deals. Soon, many were lining up the night before — that is, Thanksgiving night. The doorbuster sales always went poorly in a few places, with shoppers assaulting one another in pursuit of that must-have gift.