Buy, buy, buy!!

With Thanksgiving over 'cept for the pile of leftover turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and other assorted items, it's on to our next holiday--the Christmas retail season.

Starting very early, with some stores open before sunup, shoppers will flock to buy alot of stuff
that they don't need, for people who won't appreciate it.

I've always had an aversion towards the commercialization of Christmas. For me, whether I have any warmth for religion/xianity or not, the day has always had some kind of deeper significance--the whole "peace and goodwill towards man" thing. I love the carols, Charlie Brown's Christmas special, the something magical that hangs in the air, the ringing of the bells by Salvation Army workers, etc.

With each successive year, holding on to the spiritual significance of Christmas becomes harder and harder. I detest shopping from Nov. 26-Dec. 24 and since I'm a procrastinator, I never get any of my shopping done prior to this. While my wife and I no longer do the crazy Christmas dash to dispense cash any longer, some sanity has returned to the day. However, I will go out and pick up a couple of rather inexpensive items and I'm brought face to face with the shoving, pushing, screaming consumers trying to pick up that last gift for Aunt Millie. God forbid that you get in their way!

For those of you who would like an alternative to your consumeristic Christmas past, here's a suggestion for making Christmas a little less frantic.

If you are going out to the mall today, be careful and don't get hurt.