HOLLYWOOD—The holidays are officially here. It seems that people tend to skip Thanksgiving; the Christmas lights go right up after Halloween. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, officially kicks off the holiday shopping season. While the deals this year weren’t that great, bargain-hunters still shopped for GPS navigators and Nikon Coolpix cameras; they were down to $79. Those items were selling like hot cakes. You may recall two years ago when throngs of rampaging shoppers broke down the doors at a Walmart store on Long Island, N.Y., and trampled to death an employee on Black Friday. This year a woman in a Target in Buffalo, N.Y. was trampled on and rushed to the hospital. Despite a weakened economy, consumers are still buying and charging on their credit cards creating more debt for themselves. We realize that standing outside in the cold for hours can turn the most polite-best-intentioned individual into a Black Friday savage, there is absolutely no excuse for this inhuman, unacceptable behavior.

It seems that consumers are buying plenty of Wii games, including “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and the “Glee” version of Karaoke Revolution. The songs only include songs from the first season of the Fox hit. The game lets singers perform to video montages and alongside the cast of “Glee.” The holidays are just around the corner and your to-buy list is more packed than Santa’s sleigh. There are basically two types of people during the holiday season. The organized ones that are all done and wrapped can take advantage of this holiday season by listening to just a few holiday CDs and singing along. They are the ones that can enjoy since they feel accomplished, so they can kick off their shoes and relax. Then you have the other type, the last-minute shoppers that are suffering from anxiety and stress. You’ll know who they are; they are the ones that drive aggressively. The ones that are mad at the world. The ones that take out their frustrations on a poor innocent victim. The ones that are grumpy.

Whether you are the organized or the last-minute shopper, you really need to turn up the music in this holiday season. Get this, about two years ago, a study found that athletes who wear red were most likely to win. So if you want to feel good, wear something red.

While the gloomy economy has left many of us scratching our heads and tightening our belts, and spending less this holiday season. For others you would think they’re giving things away at the stores and malls. They are packed and people continue to spend. Consumers continue to buy, whether they’re in denial or just racking up the credit cards. This holiday season people are turning to crafts and homemade bake goods, which are the simplest and ultimate thriftiest Christmas gifts to offer family and friends. The more elaborate the gift the more expensive. For the woman who has everything, she would love the new Valentino petal-appliquéd evening bag from Valentino. The designer’s signature is red; however, it comes in black, blush and rose.

Speaking of the woman who has everything, Barbara Walters will air her annual list of the year’s most fascinating people on December 9 on ABC. The list includes, believe it or not, the cast of “Jersey Shore”, Sandra Bullock, Sarah Palin, princess-to-be Kate Middleton, LeBron James, “American Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez, Betty White and Justin Bieber. You’ll have to tune in that night to see her final pick.

Rose’s Scoop: According to the Associated Press, Bob Dylan’s original hand-written lyrics “The Times They Are a-Changin” could fetch up to $200,000 to $300,000 at Sotheby’s on December 10 in New York.