Black Friday is the No. 1 shopping day of the year in the U.S., a time when the trials and tribulations of bricks-and-mortar shopping are at their most acute.

(We know -- "bricks-and-mortar" is so 1999. What we meant to say, in Web 2.0 lingo, is that Craigslist has a "lightweight" business model while your local newspaper, with all its big ugly printing presses, does not. And now, back to our post...)

Why, we ask ourselves, do people still endure the post-Thanksgiving shopping ritual when Google, Yahoo! and MSN stand ready to help them find what they're looking for online?

We have no idea.

But in honor of this mystery, Media Orchard thought we would share with you some of our most popular posts (and categories of posts) for those who have visited us via search engines:

1. Smurfs Get Blown Up (thousands of downloads, and still coming every day)

2. Everybody Loves Lists (of PR blogs, WSJ-recommended blogs, celebrity blogs, Texas blogs, Dallas blogs -- you name it)

3. Bill O'Reilly (the single-most-downloaded MO post -- and a few ... also ... rans)

4. Stripper-Loving CEO (Call them Savvis -- not savvy)

5. Provocations for Journalists and Flacks

6. PR Blogger Wars (here and here)

7. Fired and Almost-Fired Bloggers

8. Attractive Celebrities (Rose, Evangeline, Jennifer)

9. Technorati Musings (like this, this and this)

10. Marketing Ps and Qs -- and ZZZs

Thanks for shopping at Media Orchard!

Update: For more reason to keep your shopping virtual this holiday season, check out this video of crazed consumers at a Florida Wal-Mart.

Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Public Relations, Marketing, Celebrities, Bill O'Reilly, Bloggers