I hate Black Friday.

I hate the entire institution of it.

I hate that for years my cousins had to leave our Thanksgiving celebrations right after dinner so they'd have time to go home and sleep before going to work at 4:00 in the morning.

I hate that Thanksgiving is glossed over every year in favor of this day of excessive commercialism. (And I know that Thanksgiving doesn't exactly have the most innocent past, but that's far too complex an issue to tackle in this article.)

I hate that I have to wake up every year on the day after Thanksgiving and hear on the news about all of the nastiness that occurred due to Black Friday shopping.

I hate it.

I mean even the name itself has negative connotations, as it was coined by the Philadelphia Police Department in 1966 due to the heightened rate of traffic accidents and customer altercations as a result of the so called "kickoff of the holiday season."

Why are we encouraging a day that fosters ugliness and materialism during this time of year when we're supposed to be focusing on kindness and compassion? Why do we ignore the fact that this day consistently results in anger, violence, and myriad news stories from across the nation about people sustaining serious physical injuries? It just doesn't make sense to me.

And I get that it provides a much-needed annual boost to the economy, and that it has the potential to be a positive thing.

I understand that for some people it's a family tradition, and that there can be a community spirit among those who venture out in the wee hours of the morning to get their holiday deals, and that there are people who genuinely do it for the fun of shopping and spending time with each other.

I respect that, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

So I guess my point is, go out and shop on Black Friday if you want to, but if you do, please be courteous (especially to those working), and try to make it a positive experience, rather than just a method for acquiring cheap products.

Trust me, it will make everyone's lives a little bit better.