“Black Friday” may still be the day after Thanksgiving, but with the competition so fierce for fewer consumer dollars, the buildup to it is starting earlier and earlier. At the rate we’re going, we’ll be sunning ourselves on the beach in August knowing what the deals will be three months later.

“Will you pass the sunscreen?”

“Sure. Say, what do you think about a high-def TV for the holidays this year? Looks like some good deals are coming.”

On the down side, slashed prices and longer sales mean razor-thin margins — not exactly what investors are clamoring for. But on the plus side, I expect consumers to spend more this holiday season than they have the last few years and provide a number of investing opportunities.

We’ve seen signs of that in recent earnings reports. Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) more than tripled its earnings. Talk about a company that’s dependent on discretionary spending! Also, Altria’s (NYSE: MO)  third-quarter earnings rose 28% as the maker of Marlboro cigarettes benefited from higher prices and increased sales in its smokeless tobacco unit. Air travel is picking up, and subsequently Boeing (NYSE: BA) raised its profit forecast for the year because it expects to sell more planes and Delta reported a 19% jump in passenger revenue.

Even the Fed said consumers are slowly regaining confidence.

There’s a long way to go to be sure, but there’s enough activity out there for smart investors to profit. Traditional retailers are not the way to go, but here are three stocks I think will do especially well:

Apple and the iPhone, iPod and iPad

If you’re looking for the right gift this season, you probably can’t go wrong getting something from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) with a lower case “i” in front of it — iPod, iPhone or iPad.

The iPhone is just unstoppable. Even “antennagate” couldn’t bring it down as the company sold a record 14.1 million phones last quarter. When you consider that the iPhone is just now hitting China, you realize just how staggering the potential is.

You know there will be millions of five- to 18-year olds praying for a new iPad this year. iPad sales last quarter disappointed analysts, but I look for sales in the current quarter to exceed expectations thanks to holiday shopping.

And then there is Apple’s first-mover advantage, which it is vigorously defending. Some investors were disappointed in margins last quarter. Apple is clearly intent on using its staggering financial resources ($50 billion in cash) to sell the iPad at prices that pressure the competition. That’s what game changers do, and it will be very difficult for tablet competitors to offer the same features as the iPad at similar prices.

There’s no stopping this juggernaut, and I see the stock hitting $400 in 2011.

Joe’s Jeans (JOEZ) Offers Affordable Luxury

Joe’s Jeans (NASDAQ: JOEZ) offers style and value — well, on a relative basis, anyway.

JOEZ sells affordable luxury with jeans that typically cost from $159-$179. That seems like a lot compared to $40 Levis, but Joe’s is not competing with Levis. It’s competing with other high-end denim merchants like True Religion, who often price their wares at more than $200. As such, Joe’s occupies a unique slice of the retail market.

The stock pulled back recently after earnings were released, providing a good entry pont. Net income fell a penny per share due to a higher tax rate and increased expenses. Many of those expenses, however, will result in growth — such as more stories and additional employees. Most importantly, retail sales more than tripled.

As a lower-priced stock, it won’t take much momentum for JOEZ to break out toward $3.

Sirius XM  (SIRI) Is Seriously Rockin’ N’ Rollin’

Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI), the satellite radio provider once given up for dead, is rockin’ n’ rollin’ again. The stock bounced sharply in the September-October rally, and I recently increased my target on SIRI because the company just keeps adding subscribers. It ended the third quarter with a record 19.8 million subscribers and should easily pass 20 million this quarter.

Car sales are on the rebound, and between the Sirius and XM brands, satellite radio is now included for a year in most of the major models. More of these subscribers are converting to paying customers. I expect that to continue as SIRI advertises aggressively with many of its content partners.

In addition, the company is getting its once-crushing debt burden under better control. With some of the huge salaries it pays — like Howard Stern’s $550 million over five years — it isn’t going away anytime soon, but investors seem pleased it’s being managed more responsibly.

Here is a company with talent at the helm (I think Mel Karmazin is one of the smartest CEOs in the history of media companies) and entertaining, diverse and unique programming that is attractive to vehicle drivers who are signing up in record numbers. I think we’ll see more than a few satellite radios with bows on them this holiday season.