Where did this name come from? Does the black refer to the sky before dawn, which is when you must get up if you’re going to snare a $200 computer or a $100 TV? Or does it refer to your mood when you discover that your local Best Buy only had 10 of the $100 TVs and there were 900 people in front of you in line who wanted one? For those of us who just can’t handle the chaos, there are many online deals to be found this weekend. Start with Friday’s specials at theblackfriday.com site or just shop your favorite holiday sites, like Amazon, where we found Champs Elysees toilette spray for 50 percent off retail, and a Calphalon pan for 80 percent off. To impress the inlaws that you’ve shopped around, try the toaster/egg maker at iKitchen.com. There’s a risk with ordering this bizarre appliance. Will it really cook an egg while also toasting a muffin for $29.99? We can hope.

The season is upon us, and who better to usher in the holidays than pop culture’s most ebullient icon? Ok, Sponge Bob is maybe one possible symbol of holiday cheer; one among dozens of choices for Christmas lights offered at mega holiday store Bronner’s, which calls itself the World’s Largest Christmas Store. Those who want a more traditional display can get flamingo…uh, Santa lights or religious symbols for their tree. The store also carries outdoor light displays, rope lights, icicle lights, energy-saving LED lights and you name it.

A men’s valet might seem like a stuffy Christmas present. But just think of the clutter fix this handy item represents! This is truly one present they won’t buy for themselves. Have you ever met a man who doesn’t have difficulty controlling the keys, dry cleaner tags, business cards, micro-batteries and change that spills from the bottomless pants pocket every evening? No. And you know why? They don’t care! But even at that, they might be pleased when it’s all organized in a nifty little valet. This one by Bombay has six watch bays and some extra space. Others offer more room for pocket flotsam. Consider this the first in our series of holiday presents with a purpose. Watch (no pun intended) for more.

First comes Christmas, then for many high schoolers, comes the SATs. Grease those neurons with these fun gifts: An SAT words shower curtain from Acorn or an SAT calendar available at Wireless. The shower curtain, the brainchild of a 14-year-old, features 500 SAT-level (might appear on the test) words. As the catalog says, how propitious. The SAT calendar features practice questions from the College Board in vocabulary, math and critical writing. Of course, you can get a dozen SAT guides at Amazon; one that’s a little different, Zen in the Art of the SAT. Sounds good with a cup of hot cocoa.

With Iwo Jima cropping up in the public consciousness again via the film Flags of our Fathers, you may remember that there was a less famous flag-raising that took place on the embattled Pacific island. It was supposedly the official, first flag-raising. Now we don’t want to get into a squabble about this. But those who want to be different can buy a signed copy of this other flag raising at Acorn Online, a gift purveyor with an ecelectic collection of items for history buffs, readers, nature-lovers and fans of British TV. How important is this image? History will tell.

We’ve all been there: Face to face with the Thanksgiving bird and nothing in our hand but some puny, dull-edged steak-knife that last saw its best action in 1978. Well, OK maybe that’s just me, but still why not start the holiday season with some serious weaponry? Henckels features this 23-piece (!) set that should satisfy any dangerously mad chef. The set includes various sized knives to handle all your chopping, slicing and mincing needs. Notes Henckels:

* The Pro S knives are forged, not stamped
* Blade density that has been improved using an ice-hardening process.
* The larger knives are crafted using a technology which fuses blade, bolster and tang into a single, seamless piece.