I need opinions. Every yr since hubby and I have been together (this will be Christmas #6) we get up in the middle of the night the day after TG and go Black Friday shop together. When we are done we have breakfast together, hide the gifts and snuggle back in bed together. I have some lovely memories of our BF shopping nights. With the large family, the amazing savings on a lot of wish-list items helps us give our babies a better Christmas. This yr I have some apprehensions. First of all, the local sales are starting at 8 PM on TG instead of 2 AM on Friday as usual. This means after a looong day of cooking, serving, entertaining and cleaning I will have to go str8 out to shop with no rest. Second, there are fewer things on the kids' lists this yr on sale, but there is a TERRIFIC savings on the items that are available. It would definitely stretch our Christmas budget, just maybe not as much as usual. Third, with all that has gone on in our family the last few months I am having crowd anxiety pretty bad (even just trudging thru the throngs of ppl I dont know at school has me emotionally crippled by the time I get home each day and we live in a small town so the BF crowd will be largely composed of ppl I know). Last, I only get 2 days off from school for TG break. I will spend all day cooking Thursday, half the evening shopping and probably COLLAPSE thru Friday and go right back to the grind that is already draining me on Monday. So is it worth it to help our budget and maintain my tradition with my hubby or am I adding undue stress to my life that just isnt warranted?