Thanksgiving hits the number two position on this week's Lycos 50. Thanksgiving opens up the holiday season, with its fine things like pumpkin pie, fun movies like "Enchanted" (which topped the box office this weekend) and assorted irritants like crowds and travel. AAA reported that a record 38.7 million U.S. residents were likely to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday period of Wednesday through Sunday, up about 1.5 percent from last year. Yes, hours and hours spent in the car, sneering at the idiocy of other drivers ... or waiting at the airport ... or next to smelly passengers on the train ... it can drain all of the hard-earned holiday cheer right out of a person.

The other holiday cheer damper? Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving, when shoppers line up at 4:30 AM to take advantage of sales. (A friend of mine tried to hit Circuit City at 5:30 AM to buy a cheap laptop, but was forced to wait in line for an hour only to find that the store looked as if it had been ransacked by looters when she actually got inside. She has blocked the entire experience from her memory and seems to be suffering from a slight case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.) The National Retail Federation reported that over 147 million shoppers hit the stores this weekend, an increase of nearly 5 percent over last year's Black Friday weekend.

For the record, I would never go shopping on Black Friday. I've become a fan of what is being called "Cyber Monday" - it's that first day back to work after the Thanksgiving holiday where everyone spends the day buying holiday gifts online - that's much more my speed. I spent Black Friday in my pajamas, munching on leftover sweet potatoes, and watching "Elf" on TV. I hope you all had as lovely a holiday weekend as I did ... only five more weeks till Christmas! Let the games begin!