Cyber Monday: Online holiday sales kick off

It's not as famous as Black Friday but it's a lot more peaceful than rushing to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) at 5 a.m. to race other families to the TV section: Today is Cyber Monday, a big day for holiday sales at online stores.

According to Money, "Nearly 75 percent of online retailers will offer special promotions on the Monday after Thanksgiving, up from 43 percent two years ago, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation, which in 2005 dubbed the day Cyber Monday after online retailers noticed that Web site traffic spiked that day."

CyberMonday.com has a list of all the sales: Free shipping at Overstock.com (NASDAQ: OSTK), Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD), Lands End, eLuxury, eToys and others.

I like the idea of Cyber Monday as an alternative to Black Friday: You can avoid getting caught in the moment, spending more than you planned to as you are surrounded by other free-spenders. Crowded malls can lead to a certain mob mentality, with shoppers fueling each others' fiscal irresponsibility. If you find yourself susceptible to this, you may want to avoid going holiday shopping with friends, as much fun as it can be.

And if you're just plain sick of all the holiday shopping, you can always go see What Would Jesus Buy?, if it's playing in your area.