When I think of November, I imagine crisp brown leaves falling from trees, a brisk chill in the air, the smell of turkey in the oven, and I see my family gathering together for special days I’ll forever remember.

I don’t think of Black Friday.

Black Friday is something that only comes to my mind when Thanksgiving gets closer. I love shopping, but why shop on a day when you aren’t going to get anything accomplished anyway?

The way I see it, the stores are too crowded with crazy people running around hysterical over TVs, washing machines and a bunch of other items that probably aren’t going to matter much to them in a few days.

Stores are so packed, no one can see what they’re looking for without practically pulling people’s hair out. Instead of a fun, relaxing day, it’s exhausting, rough, depressing and virtually impossible.

It’s called Black Friday for a reason, people.

Not only is shopping in stores a lost cause due to the mazes of people, it could be life threatening. Black Friday shopping puts lives in danger; shoppers and workers alike are not free from risk.

I don’t see why getting pushed around like a rag doll to get a vacuum cleaner for a few dollars less than the original price is worth a life. I also don’t understand the point of standing in line for hours upon hours, or camping outside the store on pins and needles, just waiting for the doors to be opened.

If you ask me, this is why they invented the internet.

Black Friday shopping can be quite painless if it’s done from home. My mom does it almost every year. Sometimes she gets up early to go on the computer and buy something, and other times she doesn’t.

Either way, she’s always safe and comfortable. She has nothing to worry about when she’s shopping from home, other than maybe being jumped on by her two youngest children.

The best part is, she gets the same great deals as if she was in the store.

When I was very young, I can remember my parents tried Black Friday shopping for a few years and then stopped. One year, my mom went to Kohl’s for one item, and she had to wait to check out for a long time; the line looped around the entire store.

Thank goodness we were by the card aisle; I gratefully took advantage of that, opening the singing cards while we waited.

When I think of Black Friday, I think of the movie “Jingle All the Way.” Although it’s not about Black Friday, it deals with last minute Christmas shoppers who are desperate to get their child a new Turbo Man toy that came out. Everyone wants one, and everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

Howard Langston, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is no exception. He pounds on store doors, jumps over people, sabotages a mail man, along with many other ridiculous things in order to get a Turbo Man for his son.

It’s a hilarious movie, but that would not be a fun real-life situation.

I think the American people need to run to their families and friends the way they do when they want material things. They need to be crazy about the people they love because they really matter; not the vacuum cleaner you bought for dirt cheap. It’s more fun to eat a big meal and watch TV with your favorite people instead of risking your life for a piece of plastic.