It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Except when it comes to navigating busy malls, downtown businesses and greeting card stores.

I've never been able to get into Black Friday. Waking up at the crack of dawn just to get a head start on shopping never really appealed to me.

Don't get me wrong -- I love a good bargain, but waking up early the day after Thanksgiving doesn't seem like a good deal to me. It's all barnesandnoble.com for this girl.

But don't worry, all is not lost if you are like me and have no desire to bully your way through hoards of people. Think of the advantages you will incur if you have not yet begun your shopping or waited a day or two after Black Friday to begin.

With this waiting, you can relax and have a nice day shopping by yourself or with family of friends. Maybe you can go out to brunch at a local restaurant and lazily make your way to the nearby mall or store of your choice.

And the deals are still there. For example, I bought a nice evening dress on Saturday, not Friday, marked down to $15 that will work for a formal this semester, a trip to the theater and any other holiday festivities that may require such an ensemble. Plus, it matches a pair of heels and a purse I already own. I couldn't go wrong.

And the best part was, there was no stress in the purchase. No five minutes until the sale ends or running to beat another person to the prize.

No, none of that, because frankly, I don't want to deal with it.

My roommate made fun of the whole situation, while she embarked on her travels through the endless rush of holiday shopping, waking up at 6:30 a.m. to accompany her mom on their annual Black Friday shopping trip. Her away message told friends to call her so she could be talking on her phone about the hot deal in aisle seven.

I called to make fun of her, because really, what are roommates for?

But the whole idea just points out how absurd Black Friday really is.

Now just think, if you have not yet begun your holiday shopping, you won't have to deal with all that.

Now, of course, you probably gave a slight boost to the economy if you went out on Friday, but I'm pretty sure that people are still going to buy the same amount of holiday presents whether they go out on Friday or not.

So, sit back and don't stress about not going shopping this past weekend. Spend your time wisely and take in all of the holiday sights and sounds.

Go out on Saturday, Sunday, take an occasional trip downtown to your favorite store. Maybe one night after class, run out to the mall. It makes the whole process more relaxing and more fun. You can time it with a dinner date or trip to the movies. Take in the whole season at a relaxing pace instead of rushing to pack it all in with one sweep.

So, there needn't be any running through the stores, waking up at the crack of dawn or chatting with your friend about the hot deal in aisle seven in the first week after Thanksgiving.

But shopping on Christmas Eve, that's an entirely different story.