It’s not even Thanksgiving Day and already you’re thinking about getting your Christmas shopping done. Right? Or you’re half done already, that powerful little phone in your hand a gift-buying wonder machine.

The reality is that Black Friday isn’t what it used to be. Or Cyber Monday.

“Retailers have extended the holiday shopping season to Halloween, making it much less compressed. Now there’s a steady stream of promotions,” as University of Minnesota marketing professor

George John

said in a statement last week distributed to media outlets, including to the News Tribune Opinion page.

In other words, there’s no reason anymore to get up before dawn or to camp out outside a store to get the season’s, or even the year’s, best deals. The deals are aplenty.

Similarly, Cyber Monday is a fad that’s largely now passed. It “grew in popularity because people would return to work on Monday after Black Friday weekend and shop online with their office’s high-speed internet, which they didn’t have at home,” John explained. “That’s not a factor anymore.” Thank you, smartphones.

While how we shop has certainly changed, our desire to shop — especially at gift-giving times like now — hasn’t. And consumer spending this holiday season is expected to be up. Way up,

according to the National Retail Federation

, to a record $902 per person on average for gifts, food, decorations, and other seasonal items. That’s $25 per person more than last year and $16 more than the previous record set in 2019.

It’s as though we feel January’s credit card bills will never come. As though we’re politicians in Washington, D.C. or St. Paul throwing around someone else’s cash. And it’s in spite of lingering concerns about inflation, ballooning grocery bills, and the rising costs of everything, it seems, especially everyday items.

In spite of such concerns, “The COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. Inflation has cooled and the economy has somewhat normalized,” John said. And that means, “Shoppers are looking to spend.” So, “If you are in decent financial shape, go out there and have a good time shopping. Just watch yourself and don’t get into debt because the financial debt trap is very real. Credit card interest rates have just gone up. It’s easy to get into debt trouble, much harder to get out of it.”

The money experts at WalletHub have

even more tips

“to help you give more, spend less, and worry about money as little as possible” this holiday season.

Start by creating a realistic budget — and then really stick to it. Sounds simple, but how many of us actually write out the names of the people we want to buy for, how much we’re willing to spend on each of them, and what we want to get? And then, if the grand total is more than can be afforded, how many of us actually make tough decisions?

Budget in hand, scout for online coupon codes, the best prices and deals, and price-protection policies that vary from store to store and site to site and offer refunds.

Avoid going into debt to buy gifts. It’s stressful, Maryam Kia-Keating, associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, said in a statement from DebtHammer. And, “Financial stress often increases conflict in family relationships, because of the spending itself when partners don’t agree, or because of the sacrifices involved in trying to pay back the debt.”

If shopping online, order early to avoid last-minute rush-shipping costs. Last-minute shopping can also increase stress levels and reduce availability. It’s also a good idea to buy early for people you may not see on the day you celebrate the holidays, like co-workers or teachers, for example.

Be careful what credit cards you use. Store credit cards that offer 0% introductory rates often use a dangerous feature called

deferred interest

, which can lead to major unexpected costs. Look for cards with no annual fee or the longest-possible 0% intro period. Look for cards that offer rewards, too. And the

best store credit cards

offer decent discounts on first purchases.

Giving cash or gift cards makes budgeting for the holidays easier. “It might seem impersonal,” as

Christie Matherne

wrote for WalletHub, “but cash (and gift cards are) much simpler and infinitely more versatile than any other present you could give.”

Finally, here’s a reminder from a more personal and spiritual place: Remember that no matter how many mass-media messages make arguments to the contrary, you can’t — cannot, no way no how, huh-uh — buy your way to the perfect Christmas morning. It really is the thought that counts.

For those who celebrate, the holidays are about so much more than gift-giving anyway and spending more than we have. That’s even with the coming weekend of door-buster deals, early-bird specials, and shop-local guilt. And it’s too often forgotten in the rush and the hurry and the glitz and the pressure-filled madness of the holidays.

“Our View” editorials in the News Tribune are the opinion of the newspaper as determined by its Editorial Board. Current board members are Publisher Neal Ronquist, Editorial Page Editor Chuck Frederick, and Employee Representative Kris Vereecken.