Story by Nicole Cooke, Copy Editor—

The trees are bare, it’s getting chilly, students are panicking to study for finals, and lights are being strung up on roofs.

It can only mean one thing – the holiday season has finally arrived.

However, for some people, it started a little earlier than usual.

The infamous Black Friday started on Thursday this year. Or as I like to call it, Thanksgiving – the holiday everyone forgot.

I absolutely love the holiday season. Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and friends and have one of the best meals you’ll have all year.

Christmas is a time to give gifts to those you love and make your home warm and cozy with lots of decorations.

Plus it’s appropriate to listen to Christmas music 24/7 and drink lots of peppermint hot chocolate.

But not everyone sees it that way. People crowd the malls to find tons of presents, hopefully on sale.

Instead of enjoying way too much turkey and mashed potatoes with your family, or watching the Plaza lights, many people decided to camp out in the cold to get a good deal on presents.

Some even went just to buy things on sale for themselves.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for a good deal. I’m quite the bargain shopper.

But nothing is worth missing Thanksgiving, waiting out in the cold, and shoving people to get that shirt or video game.

I’d rather participate in #GivingTuesday, a social media movement that is a call for organizations and individuals to give to those less fortunate during this time of year.

More than 2,000 organizations, such as The U.N. Foundation, Microsoft, Goodwill, The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross, are participating in the movement.

Doesn’t that seem like a better use of our time?

I get it – Black Friday is a tradition. But does it really have to start at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving?

Why not keep it at 6 a.m. like it used to be?

As for me, I like to shop throughout December.

Just means more excuses to buy peppermint hot chocolate.