When Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving in 1863, I’m sure he had no idea that 155 years later we would still set aside the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. I think it’s great. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love being with friends and family. I love eating. I love watching football. I’m definitely not a fan of shopping on Black Friday or even Thanksgiving Day now in some stores. I am a fan of online shopping. I can take advantage of bargains online from the comfort of my own home while enjoying more food and football. (Retail is about to be transformed yet again, which I discuss in the brand new issue Early Stage Investing issue.)

What’s the biggest shopping day of the year? If you said Black Friday, you’re right… sort of. It is in the United States anyway. Here’s another question for you: What’s a good way to torture Matt McCall? Answer: Taking me shopping on Black Friday. Don’t get me wrong. I love the holidays. We had people over this past weekend and I fired up my Christmas jazz playlist. Nobody was happy about it but me. They all thought it was too early. Still, the absolute last place I want to be on Black Friday is in a store with hundreds of other people.