The ultimate holiday shopping guide for this year

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Black Friday is merely hours away and while department stores and mall staff are gearing up for the herd of frantic shoppers, here are a few tips to keep sane during the holiday shopping rush.

Macy's By Appointment Group Vice President Linda Lee told Huffington Post that it's best to "organize your list by Men, Women, Children, so that you don't forget someone and have to double back to where you have already shopped."

As for gear, Lord & Taylor's Fashion Director Paula Correri says that wearing comfortable footwear is essential, and choose to carry a cross body bag to keep your hands free to shop for items.

Meanwhile, CBS News reports that according to the National Retail Federation, Americans will be spending an estimate of $630.5 billion for presents this Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Because most holidays have been commercialized for profit, here are a few dates to keep in mind on when to shop, or for those who are already done and do not want to join heavy crowd traffic, the dates to avoid going to the malls.

Gray Thursday or Thanksgiving Thursday, which is today, is the day both Walmart and Target will offer Turkey Day bargains. Additionally, online shoppers are expected to increase activity by 18 percent, yielding another $1.6 billion, Adobe reports.

Nov. 27, Black Friday will look like a war zone in most malls this year, but its origins are far from what the day represents today. In fact, "Black Friday" was coined in 1966 to describe the madness of the shopping season and to scare away shoppers. It did work, but it also meant that retailers' profits went down. In fact, the trend repeated itself in 2014, when spending was only at $50 billion, compared to $59.1 billion in 2012.

Small Business Saturday, which happens on November 28, was created by American Express in 2010 to help small businesses gain a following among shoppers.

Cyber Monday, which happens on Nov. 29, was actually developed in 2005 by Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation to describe the Monday following Thanksgiving, when people would shop online while they were at work. Note that this was way before the Internet was readily accessible by anyone.

Giving Tuesday (Dec. 1) is just three years old following its launch by New York City's 92nd Street Y in 2012 to encourage charitable giving. Impressively, the initiative now has 30,000 partners globally, ranging from non-profit organizations to small and large businesses. Donations have also increased 470 percent, meaning that people are indeed looking to give than receive this holiday season.

Shoppers who would rather take to their computers should know that Free Shipping Day happens on Dec. 18, a day when merchants offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Day. Take advantage of this and avoid large crowds.

Speaking of large crowds, Super Saturday, which happens on Dec. 19 this year is the last Saturday before Christmas, which means that malls will definitely be packed with last-minute shoppers. It's also called "Panic Saturday" for good reason.

The shopping doesn't end on Christmas Day, as Dec. 26 sees an increase in shopper traffic because that's the day people cash in their gift certificates or exchange the gifts they receive for something else.

With these tips and dates in mind, remember that the true essence of the holidays are in the company we share and not in the material things that are the cherry on top. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to purchase things for those who need it more. Charitable acts are always good, no matter what the season.