Let's Take the Crushing out of Christmas

I certainly don't ask most people to go the anticonsumerism extremes that, say, Bill McKibben does in asking folks to spend little or nothing on Christmas gifts. If the people on your list already have granola in their souls, OK, but most of us just won't be able to do it. I mean, you can tell people you want to reduce the out-of-control consumption the holiday inspires, and most people will nod their heads and agree, so what usually happens is that you make them a really nice walking stick yourself, you carve a hole in one end for a lanyard, you know, all that, and then on Christmas morning you give the stick and the person gives you a stereo or whatever anyway, after having promised not to, and they tell you about a million times it's fine, they love the stick, on and on, and the whole thing's just a complete fiasco.

I'm a centrist and libertarian on this myself: If you want to buy someone a DVD player, or a coat, or a car, and you can afford to do it, then fine. It would be nice if you chose a gift that really makes the recipient feel you thought about him or her, of course. (For guidelines on this, see O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi.) But really, it's up to you.

That said, I do have to point out that the proper holiday spirit almost certainly is missing if your Christmas preparations involve trampling people to death. Just sayin.'