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The best gift of all? A full wallet

Today is Black Friday*.

For most of the nation, the day after Thanksgiving is a chance to hit the mall in search of super-sales, to barge down store aisles stocking carts with the best bargains and sweetest deals. For a smaller segment of the population, however, today is also Buy Nothing Day.

My plan is to buy nothing today.

No gadgets. No toys. Not even a pack of gum.

Not to spite struggling retailers or to skimp on my Christmas list, but to take a stand against the rampant consumerism that has gripped our nation in its vulture-like talons.

That’s not to say that I won’t be getting in a little Christmas shopping this weekend. And I certainly might take advantage of some of those so-called “deals” — without spending more than I planned to, of course.

But the majority of my money will stay where it is. In my wallet.

Recognize our economic crisis. Acknowledge the vicious cycle of credit cards, international profiteering and national debt. Celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

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If you simply can’t resist the siren song of eager retailers on Saturday and Sunday, there are a few tips that can make your shopping experience more pleasant.

Gizmodo offers “Best of Black Friday Deals” guide for high tech fanatics. Gamers can check out the coolest titles for Wii, XBox 360 and Playstation 3 over at Kotaku.com. And there are bargains aplenty at Amazon.com, BestBuy.com and the last stalwart souls at CircuitCity.com.

If you’re looking to improve your DVD collection, here are a handful of recent released titles that caught my eye:

“A Man Named Pearl”: The inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, this inspiring documentary shows how one man can transform himself and his community.

“Futurama: Bender’s Game”: When “Futurama” — Matt Groening’s hilarious scifi show — kicked the bucket in 2003, fans everywhere breathed a huge sigh of disappointment. Those fans will be happy to hear the direct-to-DVD “Futurama” films (essentially four sequential episodes back-to-back) are just as sharp and funny as the original animated series.

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”: Awesome special effects, wisecracking humor and fantastic new worlds make for an amazing ride. If you liked “Hellboy,” you’ll love the sequel. If you haven’t seen either, you’re in for a major treat.

“Monty Python’s Holy Trinity”: What could be better than one awesome movie starring the British comedy troupe? How ’bout three?! This collection features the films known by fans as “Holy Grail,” “Life of Brian” and “Meaning of Life.”

“Project Runway: The Complete Fourth Season”: I can’t get enough of this reality show about future fashion superstars and their vicious catfights. My only request: More fashion, less Heidi Klum.

“Sukiyaki Western Django”: Spaghetti westerns and samurai epics collide in Takashi Miike’s interesting, if uneven, paean to “Yojimbo.” Although the cast and setting are Japanese, Quentin Tarantino shows up for entirely no reason.

“Tropic Thunder”: Offensive at some points and laugh-out-loud funny at others, “Tropic Thunder” is a ludicrous comedy with serious bite. Five words: “Robert Downey Jr. in blackface.”

“Wall-E”: You’ll be utterly charmed by this sweet, beautifully animated family film about a lonely robot looking for love and friendship. One of Pixar’s best.

My advice? Buy only what you originally wanted, keep track of receipts and put those credit cards AWAY.

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* There’s a movie called “Black Friday” — but it’s about the series of bombings that rocked Bombay in 1993, not crazed shoppers hunting for holiday scores. For that, you can watch “Jingle All the Way.”

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Above image courtesy of Adbusters.org.