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Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Brown Thursday–all the sales days associated with Thanksgiving are starting to blend together into one big giant shopping-fest. It feels like the anxiety of getting the best deals has replaced the anxiety of roasting the perfect bird (and having to chat with your drunk uncle).

It can be pretty confusing, so we reached out to Lauren Sherman, Executive Digital Editor at Lucky Magazine (and, der, former Fashionista editor), to help us sort through the sales.

“It is essentially one big thing now and they probably should just call it a Thanksgiving Day sale,” said Sherman, “but it’s all about marketing.” She cites Cyber Monday as a specific example of a sales term that began as a ploy; it started when people didn’t have internet at home who would shop online when they returned to work on Monday. Now that people have internet at home, however, it makes more sense for retailers to start their online sales on Wednesday or Thursday rather than waiting until Monday.

So what’s with the confusing sales jargon? Sherman says that while it would make it easier for the consumer if retailers cleaned out the old terms and hosted one big Thanksgiving weekend event, “retailers often are not thinking in that way…they’re thinking of all the different kinds of people they can market to.”

So the best thing that you can do is strategize and take advantage of what retailers are offering.

The great news is that you don’t have to stand in line anymore. “If you want something specific, like a new TV, then it might be worth going to the brick and mortar,” Sherman elaborated. “But if you’re looking for a pair of shoes from a designer you really like, I think the best thing you can do is look online and pop into one of the stores.”

We hate the stress of Thanksgiving shopping as much as you do, so we’re here to help.

We’ve weeded out the best deals you can score without having to face the crazy crowds. From pre-Turkey day scores to Cyber Monday exclusives, here is your guide to the general Thanksgiving weekend shopping extravaganza, broken down by starting dates.

We’ll be updating as we hear about amazing sales, so be sure to check back, and check out Lucky‘s guides to Black Friday and Cyber Monday!