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Time was when Black Friday signaled the official start of the holiday shopping season, but Jeanette Ludington of Aurora knows those days are long gone.

“I’m usually a Black Friday shopper but especially with four kids, we try to get the best deals ever,” she said as she walked around Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora Friday morning. “I started shopping before all this, but I miss that time from the old days when you had to worry about – are we going to get this great deal or miss out? But now, the shopping season is weeks and months long. But I’m going to make a day, a family day of this.”

Despite the early start many have gotten on Christmas shopping and the chilly weather Friday morning, thousands still came out to the malls in Aurora

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