Today is Thanksgiving and tomorrow is the day after Thanksgiving, commonly known in America as Black Friday. Why is it called Black Friday? According to Melody Vargas, "the origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season. Black Friday was when retailers went from being unprofitable, or "in the red," to being profitable, or "in the black", at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit."

Here's a few Black Friday sites that are offering a preview of Black Friday sales and Black Friday coupons:

• Top 10 Tips to Getting the Best Bargains on "Black Friday": Excellent article put together by Donna Montaldo on how to get the most out of Black Friday.
• Black Friday 2005 - The Official Site: I don't know about the "official" part, but there are a lot of great coupons and Black Friday previews here.
• DealTaker Black Friday 2005: Provides links to various stores and their projected or rumored Black Friday sales.
• BargainShare Black Friday 2005 Message Board: Members are posting Black Friday 2005 sales and coupons left and right here.
• Black Friday 2005 Thanksgiving Deals: Postings include Toys R Us, GameStop, and AAFES.

Related: Or, you could do what I do and avoid all the crowd craziness (and still find some awesome deals), and shop online. Here's a few helpful articles I've written to make your online shopping experience even easier:

• Top Ten Web Search Computer Accessories: Computer geeks are notoriously difficult to shop for, but these geeky gift ideas will help you get your holiday shopping done - and it's all from the comfort of your own home.
• Best Shopping Search Engines on the Web: These shopping search engines are my picks for Best of the Web, and I'm sure you'll find some good deals on something you've been looking for.
• Best Comparison Shopping Search Engines and Sites: Comparison shopping search engines not only find the item you're looking for, but they give you a list of comparison prices in order for you to find a discount, compare prices from competitors, and finally make a purchase.
• Online Auctions - Best Online Auction Links: Check out these online auction sites to find specialty products, grab a bargain, or add to a collection.
• Top Ten Geek Holiday Gifts - The Official Geek Shopping Guide: Includes the infamous Red Stapler, a real lightsaber, and various other over the top geek gifts.