Deals for giving not for getting

Ever see the movie "The Day After Tomorrow"? If not, don't bother; it's not worth the lost brain cells. All you need to know is it's all doom and gloom about the end of the world, brought on by the carelessness of humankind. And, while the chances of an instant ice age are not exactly realistic, there is a valuable lesson hidden deep within the context. Dark days are upon us, and it has nothing to do with global warming. The economy is recessed. The housing market is upside down, the stock market is playing teeter-totter with our pocketbooks and the national debt is the highest it has ever been. War looms over our heads like a thunderhead threatening to release untold storms on a weather-weary populous. Never has the term "Black Friday" seemed more appropriate. During these uncertain times, what will become of our favorite holiday tradition: Shopping? Year-in and year-out, a small but persistent voice seems to fill the air. In churches, households, and non-profit organizations across the state, we are asked to remember the reason for the season. "Christmas is too commercial," they say. "Be charitable. Give of yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But do they mean it? And, if so, do we listen? Never fear. In the face of this economic peril, our nation continues to shop until we drop. Sadly, season-by-season, that phrase becomes more and more literal. Each year, the number of casualties from Black Friday grows. While some argue that American soldiers fight to stay alive, consumers at home give their lives for discount electronics. Stampedes and gunplay have become the new holiday tradition, while Toys 'R' Us and Wal-Mart have become our battlegrounds. If you picked up a newspaper from anywhere around the country this weekend, you read story after story of shoppers and shopkeepers who were bloodied, maimed and killed in the name of the almighty dollar. There are alternatives to the consumerist madness. Adbusters.org, a self-proclaimed "global network of culture jammers who are working to change the way meaning is produced in society," has sponsored a national Buy Nothing Day on the same day as Black Friday for the past seventeen years. Buy Nothing Day is an international movement that involves free non-commercial street parties, protests, public credit-card cut-ups, and the occasional prank at the expense of big business. The intent is to try and reverse the trend of consumerism in the holidays, putting the focus on giving real meaning to the season. After all, if it's truly the thought that counts, shouldn't that thought be more than "I saved a ton of money on this complete DVD set of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' I bought for grandma!" Then again, the giving and receiving of gifts is a means to bring people together during the holidays. While the dangerous shopping habits of Americans often cause injury and occasionally death, many of these gifts will go underappreciated or unused. But, the motivation for purchasing these mass-produced big-block store goods is nevertheless a noble one. Thinking about others seems to be a rare school of thought in a nation obsessed with itself. The holiday season is our chance to release all of that self-inflicted vitriol we've been poisoning ourselves for the first 11 months of the year. It's okay to give store-bought goods. It's okay to try to shop for deals. Just take a moment this holiday season to think about what you buy, and how it will affect the lives of those who will receive the gift and who the gift is really coming from. You may be able to peel the "Made in Indonesia" sticker from the cool hat you bought at Target, but that doesn't change the fact that it doesn't just come from you. It comes from the worker half-a-world away supporting themselves, and maybe a family with a needle and some thread. Think about your purchases this year with the rest of the world in mind, and, just maybe, you'll find greater satisfaction in giving. And, for goodness' sake, leave your gun at home.