It seems in recent years the holiday season has been expanding. Christmas decorations can be seen even before Halloween. It’s as though the rabid commercialism of American consumers has caused the holiday to become cannibalistic, consuming smaller holidays that don’t run fast enough.

It all comes down to money. The holiday shopping season continues to grow because retailers think that by putting people in the Christmas mood early, they will spend more money. However, this pre-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping is nothing compared to the main event: Black Friday.

In 2012, shoppers spent a total of $59.1 billion on Nov. 23, each shelling out an average of $423.66. Cyber Monday, Black Friday’s online counterpart, netted retail websites nearly $1.5 billion in sales.

All this money creates huge pressure on businesses, and they advertise spectacular sales to draw in consumers. Many of the deals retailers offer during these events can be found year-round, so what makes Black Friday so successful?

Winthrop University’s Jane Thomas and Cara Peters recently examined the motivations of Black Friday shoppers and found the incentive came from the feelings of accomplishment and togetherness created by grabbing a great deal, in spite of the obstacles. This means Black Friday is just like any other holiday: an excuse to get together with people you like and do something you enjoy.

The drive behind Cyber Monday’s success is different. The sense of companionship that appeals to Black Friday participants doesn’t apply to online shopping, so perhaps this is where the real deals are found. It’s a lot easier to make informed, rational decisions when sitting at a computer with Google only a mouse click away, as opposed to when wrestling with someone over a $10 sweater.

Small Business Saturday, which falls between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is the newest shopping holiday. Invented in 2010 by American Express, it appears to be a simple attempt by that company and a number of small and local businesses to get a piece of the action.

Sales figures for Small Business Saturday are harder to come by, primarily because this particular shopping holiday is relatively new. Considering many of the factors that make Black Friday appealing to mass consumers cannot be reproduced by small businesses, this attempt may be doomed to failure, or at least relative obscurity.

What is the true meaning of Christmas? The answer depends on your religion, I guess.

However, if you are asking why we have Black Friday, it’s not just about the money or the gifts. Like any holiday, it’s about spending time with the people you care about, or in my case, hiding in my house with the people I care about.