People already preparing for holiday shopping in the Valley

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - There may be 67 days until Christmas, but there are only 35 days until Thanksgiving, and many will be planning on not only eating, but also shopping.

"If the family's bored and they wanna go do something risky, I guess we will go to the mall," Lucas Koani said.

"Do you skip the meal?" I asked.

"No, not at all," Koani replied. "This is America, You have the turkey."

A little bit of both, which is why stores like Target and Walmart will give him somewhere to go. On the other hand, Costco and Neiman Marcus are two of many planning to let their employees enjoy the holiday off.

It's a holiday that some consider the official beginning of a hectic shopping season. People like Leti Almora start their gift-grabbing early to spread out the cost and prepare.

"I'm originally from San Diego, so I kinda want to make sure everything's ready for when I got back to visit," Almora said.

Then there's those like Michael Hyatt, who isn't too worried.

"Have you started your holiday shopping yet?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

Michael thinks it's all overrated, but of those who do have a plan, most probably won't be camping out on Black Friday.

A holiday shopping survey by Accenture found that 52 percent of respondents said they are less likely to shop on Black Friday this year.

"I just get scared!" Almora said. "I'm so small! People get crazy."

That same survey found Cyber Monday shopping will be down this year, too.