The day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. The 'official' beginning of the Christmas shopping season, where retailers typically offer deep discounts on merchandise. Consumers get to stores at 5:00am (or earlier), stand on long lines and rush in when the doors open. Someone on Long Island was killed in a stampede a few years ago*. Unless something else major happens in the news, B.F. will be the top story on every channel. The whole thing is pretty sad and embarassing. Mass consumerism run amuck...
In the days/weeks that follow, the news will broadcast reports about holiday sales and what it means for the U.S. economy. In essence, it's suggested that if you DON'T go out and buy a bunch of crap that you and your family don't really need, you are partly to blame for the economic crisis. As you might surmise, Americans don't need much prompting to go out and buy a bunch of crap that they don't really need...
*http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/11/28/2008-11-28_worker_dies_at_long_island_walmart_after.html