MONROE — Many local families plan to focus on their children this holiday season and to avoid the temptation of credit cards, residents said Friday.

Many said they slashed their holiday budgets in half, and some will only spend a quarter of what they usually do.

“With our family, no one lost their job but we’re not going to be stupid,” said Natalie Blanton.

Some residents took an even more conservative approach by taking a zero tolerance approach to credit.

“If it goes on credit, it doesn’t need to be bought,” Monroe resident Rae Biggerstaff said.

But Crystal Earp, 26, an Indian Trail resident, said in some cases, it’s reasonable to use credit if it means you can cash in on excellent Black Friday deals before they go away.

“If it weren’t for my mom, I wouldn’t have the money to buy it,” Earp said about the gift she was getting for her husband. “She’s lending us the money so we could get the deals.”

Debbie Rondeau said she was a little anxious about how her children might react to fewer presents this year but plans to use the economy as a teaching moment.

Rondeau, who doesn’t plan to exchange gifts with her husband, said she has tried to prepare her daughters for a more sparse Christmas by stressing the importance of family.

“What we’ve done is commercialized everything,” she said. “People want it, they get it. That’s the society we have today. We’re focusing on family instead this season.”

Despite the bleak economy that has left one in 10 unemployed, spirits were relatively high on Black Friday — the day when retailers hope to move from deficit to profit.

Best Buy employees appeared to revel in the spirit of the unofficial holiday when general manager Jessica Lopez led a pep rally five minutes before opening at 5 a.m.

“You guys are the best,” she told her team. “Be their Christmas heroes.”

The group of about 20 employees ended the rally with a chant: “Who are we? Best Buy! What are we? Built to fly! Monroe Eagles! 687.”

687 is their store number, Lopez explained.

Outside, brothers Patrick and Robert Bullock, 22 and 20 respectively, waited for the end of their 19-hour wait. The Bullocks skipped their Thanksgiving tradition for their Black Friday one, camping with friends outside Best Buy since 10 a.m. Thursday.

A tradition for five years, the group has Black Friday down to a science.

This time, to survive the nearly 24 hours outside waiting, they set up tents, which they kept up until a couple hours before opening. They also brought grills to cook on and playing cards to pass the time.

“We draw up battle plans of what we want to buy and we map out the stores we’re going to,” said Jonathan Martin, 25, of Charlotte. “It’s a game to us.”

By 6 a.m. Friday, Brooke Morris, 14, and her mom had already been to Concord Mills and were in the checkout line at Target in Monroe.

“We didn’t go to sleep. We went to Concord this morning at 1 a.m.,” she said. “Carolina Place doesn’t open until 6.”

Nearing the latter part of the unofficial holiday, Kmart general manager Bill Walker said it had been a “very pleasant, good sales day,” adding that some of the day’s most popular items included cameras, Snuggies and LCD TVs.

“It’s been a much better day than last year,” he said. “It’s been busy since this morning. It’s been terrific.”