IT BEGINS. With the calendar turning to November, our eyes and stomachs turn to that fabulous day of turkey, stuffing, and whatever else is on our Thanksgiving table. Beyond that bountiful day of food and football, however, lies the dark specter of...HOLIDAY SHOPPING!!!!

It’s a crazy time in retail, as the highest sales of the year are always expected between November 1st and December 31st. We know you are going to have to mingle among the masses and purchase some gifts, and we want to help you avoid the shell-shock. Check out these 10 tips that will make your shopping experience easier and faster than you ever thought possible.

Simply put: IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE. TAKE THESE TIPS!

A lot of folks think that once the two biggest shopping days are over and the post-Thanksgiving sales end, it’ll be full price products until New Year’s Day. This isn’t the case. Stores have sales ALL THE TIME on just about everything. Daily, weekly, weekend-ly--there are plenty of saving opportunities to be had.

Don’t be so foolish as to quit looking for good deals after the main weekend is over. Keep an eye on the ads of every web page you view, as they could be advertising a stellar deal right under your nose. (For suggestions, check out our holiday deals compilation.) Also, pay attention to commercials for the big box bargains. If nothing else, heed the advice of the next tip...

There’s no better place to find these deals than in the newspaper, the mailbox, or at the front of any store you choose. These catalogs are MADE to tell you what the best deals are; why would anyone ignore them? Sure, they double the size of the newspaper and tend to fall out and make a mess, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable of a resource.

Here’s a quick pro-tip: In most places, the Sunday paper is rife with these circulars, and the sales advertised are normally from Sunday (the day you get the paper) to Saturday (the day before the next set of circulars should arrive). Every sale for the entire week will be laid out in front of you when the newspaper hits your doorstep. It’s easier than booting up the PC to check things out. Speaking of which...

For all of the deals the circulars present, most of the time they say nothing about what’s happening on the digital front. Big time chains tend to have online-only sales that are exclusive to the web and cannot be found in-store. Make sure to check both types of deals before deciding which one to pursue.

Furthermore, online-only marketplaces like Amazon aren’t going to have a circular in the paper; all of their deals will be advertised on their site only. Amazon specifically loves their Daily Lightning Deals, so a daily trip to see what’s going on is certainly worth it. That due diligence can be the difference between paying full price and saving a boatload, and all it takes is a few typed words and mouse clicks.

Heed this warning: You will NOT be the only one heading to the retail realm for the big sales. Others will be out in full force, and sometimes your fellow man will drive you mad. Keep a level head about you and concentrate on why you’re out in the thick of things in the first place. It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, right?

There may be long lines, there may be uncouth shoppers, and there may even be arguments and fistfights (Black Friday especially). Don’t get involved and don’t get in the middle of it: You may lose out on the sale you wanted, but is it worth spending a night in the holding tank of your local jail or in the emergency room? No, of course not.

Want to know the best way to avoid getting into a fight? Game plan. Know what you want, what store you’re buying it from, and where in the store it’s located. Walk the store of your choice a few days beforehand and become familiar with the store’s layout. Be ready to just walk in, get what you need, and get out. Most importantly, know who the gift is for and make sure the recipient actually wants or needs the item before you go stick your neck out for it.

There’s no better way to avoid the madness than to optimize your time as best you can. Wandering around a store on Black Friday with no direction will only result in confusion and increased emotion, and that’s never a good thing. Keep Calm and Shop On, as it were.

Some believe that more numbers in the price of a gift always makes the gift superior. While that may be literally true (paying more money should indeed result in a more advanced product), it’s not always the case. Sometimes a smaller gift with a ton of thought behind it can mean worlds more to the recipient.

It’s easy to walk into a store, find something new and shiny, and decide “yup, that’s what Mom is getting, next!” However, do you even know dear Mother will use this item, or are you just trying to show off your fat wallet? Put some thought into what you buy: sentimental thought, comedic “inside-joke” thought, some kind of thought other than “man, that’s pricey, they’ll love me for this!” If your gift shows that you thought more of the recipient than just a name on a holiday checklist, you’re doing it right.

It’s a holiday nightmare scenario: Names and gift ideas go into a hat, everyone takes one slip, and the one you pick up has only a name, no gifts. UGH. What in Chrismahaunakwanzaa are you supposed to do? You’ve no way to know what to buy this person!

But wait! There’s a digital life preserver: SOCIAL MEDIA! Facebook, Twitter, et al are swimming with ideas. Find that person’s page, take a look at what they like and don’t like, then have at it! Is there a particular game genre they like? Are they constantly Tweeting about a video game they want but can’t get until after the holidays? Jackpot! Use these sites to your advantage!

This should be self-explanatory, but there’s nothing more thoughtless than giving a close friend or family member gift cards or cash. Sure, they’re universal gifts, but a lot of the time it says “I had no idea what to get you, so you do the work for me.”

Also, by doing this, you risk looking like even more of a dope if that friend or family member went all out on your present. Do you want to be the guy or girl who shows up with a gift card when your best friend bought you something really awesome? No, no one does, so don’t risk it unless you absolutely have no other alternative.

Congratulations! You bought a stellar gift for your friend that you KNOW he or she is going to flip out over. You’ve done a bang-up job this year, my friend, and you couldn’t be happier...only you arrive at the friend’s house to find out that his or her parents beat you to it. Drat!

There’s nothing wrong with doing some homework to make sure you’re not doubling gifts. If you see something you want to get a friend, talk to some other friends or even that friend’s parents and see if that gift is already coming your his or her way. If it is, you’ve saved yourself a brief moment of embarrassment. If not, you get all the glory to yourself. Win-win.

Imagine being the guy who buys his young nephew Call of Duty: Black Ops II, only to have your brother or sister tell you he’s not allowed to play violent games like that. First of all, you should have known that to begin with, and second of all, YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT TO BEGIN WITH.

Check with the parents of EVERY SINGLE child on your list, no exceptions. Be aware of what the parents approve of the child doing. Ask them about what they allow and don’t allow. This simple step could be the difference between being the coolest uncle ever and being the dope who doesn’t pay attention.

We offer these tips to all those intrepid souls who plan to brandish their wallets and set out into the retail wilds. However, we also want to hear from you, the brave shopper. What tips would you pass on to your shopping peers? What would you tell those who are experiencing the holiday shopping season for the first time? Let us know in the comments...and Godspeed to all.

And if you're looking for more, check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops II review and 7 reasons the Wii will be remembered fondly.