THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS!!!

[Subdivisions]

I'm sorry for raising my voice voice but DAMN! The commercialization of the Christmas shopping season get more ludicrous every year and I'm beginning to hate Christmas! I've got to haul myself out of bed at 4am so I can go hopefully get a product that is only on sale for 1/2 off for four hours only. Of course, it will sell out in the first five freakin' minutes and those of us that didn't get there the day after Halloween will be shit out of luck.

I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth and I just heard on the news that at one of the local Best Buy stores there has been a line for the Black Friday Sale since 2:00pm today.

I'm so @#$%-ing sick of this shit. Christmas officially blows.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Don't participate

It's as simple as that.

I didn't even know about the pre-dawn sales till I read about them in the paper this morning, and I can't think of ANY product that is so special or ANY price that is so low that I'd get up at 4AM to buy it.

[Subdivisions]

12. Unfortunately, I have to try because I have to try to save every

damn dollar I can.

I believe in and I love giving. I just hate the obtaining that must be done before the giving.

[hfojvt]

32. I am guessing that alot of other people are in that boat

But people seem to be giving more than they can comfortably afford to.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. You could buy something that DOESN'T require standing in line

:shrug:

You don't have to buy what's available at the big box stores.

[Subdivisions]

35. That's true but I work very hard to determine exactly what

everyone WANTS so that what I give doesn't end up getting returned or exchanged and that what I give is what the person really wants or needs. I can't stand it when I get something inappropriate that just gets returned for something else. That's a waste of everybody's time and diminishes both the gift and the occasion.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. Today all my nieces and nephews were talking about how they

wanted gift certificates, so it's gift certificates they're getting, although I'll think carefully about which stores they might like.

That way, I control the costs, and everyone gets what they want.

[silverojo]

65. You're totally right

Let the recipients have the thrill of shopping for something they really want...plus, after Xmas, things are usually marked down in price anyway, so the gift card has more buying power.

[stonecoldsober]

42. Most people secretly would just as soon receive money

For those that are language impaired, I said "most people".

[RaleighNCDUer]

69. You can change the paradigm.

In my family we have a recyle Xmas - all gifts must be previously owned, regifted, or home-made. It saves a LOT of money, and requires creative thinking about who you are gifting. It reduces the commercialization of a holiday that many think should not be commercialized while improving the attitudes of those who have little regard for the holiday, but wish to be involved with family. So nobody gets a PS3 or Wii - what do they have to do with Xmas anyway?

For your consideration.

[kineneb]

82. hand-made gifts, or nothing

No shopping for us today.

1. It is the end of the month... we have just enough money to get to the next SSDI check.

2. Got a $600 property tax payment coming up in Dec.

3. I'm taking this oil painting class (as a form of art therapy)... told Mom that everyone is getting small, hand-made redwood boxes or paintings for Christmas. Period. No money to buy gifts (especially after buying the materials for class). Don't like art or boxes? Tough.

Hey, at least we had a great Thanksgiving dinner with friends. And, there are leftovers!

[Initech]

2. I hear that.

And I've said this before and I will say it again - it is all Bill O'Reilly's fault. I would love to tell that asshole where he can stick his "war on Christmas".

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. The only way it is going to change

is when people stop playing that game.

We don't by the way... but that is the only way it will change

[Moochy]

18. Buy Nothing Day

The product is you! Tomorrow and Saturday are Buy Nothing Day :)

http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/ Buy Nothing Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNskGYJrmMY&mode=related&search= Youtube video promo of Buy Nothing Day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. We don't do this silliniess

so the only thing we buy are groceries, to accompany them left overs, if need be

;-)

Hey it makes it easy.

My in-laws they are Catholic, so this year I am considering doing a donation to a charity in their name

[Moochy]

27. The bargains vs the crowds

I guess that many people never pay themselves for the time of waiting in line dealing with the crowds the parking etc., Are the bargains that good if you factor in the time and hassle?

[nadinbrzezinski]

85. No they are not

[BlueStorm]

4. One of the many reasons I no longer celebrate the

materialistic side of Christmas.

Blue

[Kiouni]

5. I would quit giving into this bullshit

if only my family would quit wanting shit. :banghead:

[bluestateguy]

6. Nobody is forcing you to shop on the day after T'Giving

I only shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving if I am not in a hurry. It's just not worth getting stressed out over.

There will be other sales before Christmas.

Besides, shouldn't you be watching the UT-A&M game tomorrow instead?

[Kiouni]

10. was it always like this?

i mean i remember back in the day when black friday was this nuts but has Christmas always been about how much loot you rake in? I wonder when all this started.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. When Macy's started its parade

that is when it started. shortly after that Madison Ave figuerd a way to make this commercial.

By the way, to thir frustration, they have been trying this shit with Chanukah for just as long and it is not going anywhere, mostly.

It helps that Chanukah is a minor holiday. They have also tried this with Qwanza and again it is not going well

[Subdivisions]

17. No, it DID NOT used to be like it is now. The whole process

used to have at least some measure of dignity about it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. No, when I was a kid in the 1950s, stores didn't put up their

Christmas decorations till the day after Thanksgiving. It just wasn't done.

Everyone went downtown to see what the stores had put in their windows. Dayton's (later Marshall Field's and now Macy's) always had a special exhibit with some sort of ride on its eighth floor.

This madness of early morning sales is a REAL recent phenomenon.

In fact, the very idea of having price reductions before Christmas is relatively new. This was traditionally the season in which merchants could count on getting full price for their wares.

The whole notion of pre-Christmas sales tells me that the economy is bad, people feel strapped, and the stores need to use extreme measures to get people in.

[JeffR]

7. And heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing

And he-EEE-ee-ea-ven and nature sing!!!

[tridim]

46. Ding dong.. ding dong..

Hark how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say
Throw cares away

Merry merry merry merry Christmas.
Merry merry merry merry Christmas.

Worst. Song. Ever! And I hear it almost every time I go to the grocery store. :grr:

[JeffR]

62. It's a bad one

But my nom for worst Christmas song ever is Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time". Every copy, digital or analog, should be gathered up and burned.

[Erika]

8. But...but what about the war against Xmas?

You mean it never really existed? Xmas has been utlized and exploited by big business.

They are the ones who stole the meaning of the humble Xmas.

[tuvor]

9. They can't beat you if you don't play their game.

Must have been a really sweet deal.

[maine_raptor]

11. Wait until after Christmas.

Whatever it is that you need will be back on sale at 1/2 price then and, if you wait, you can sleep in late before buying it.

[Jcrowley]

13. Buy Nothing

[Moochy]

22. Two great Adbusters youtube videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNskGYJrmMY&mode=related... Youtube video promo of Buy Nothing Day.

I like this classic one a lot too.. "The product being manufactured is you..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb-jj4ncEzQ

[Warpy]

15. It's tough when you've got kiddies.

I'm a spinner, weaver and knitter, so my gifts are generally home made and people seem to prefer them that way. Plus, I bake for the neighborhood every Xmas week.

The only place I've ever bought gifts is at local craft sales, big ones every weekend in November. I also go there to pick up things I don't do, like pottery, candles and soaps.

I'm a hermit the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Xmas. I hate shopping under the best of circumstances; it's pure torture during the commercial season. I do the supermarket thing on Tuesday morning and if I absolutely MUST go to some retail store, that's when I go. For some reason, everything is deserted on Tuesday mornings.

I know people who thrive on the crowds and the excitement, as well as the pursuit of the elusive gift that 40 million other people didn't buy. I'm with you. I despise it.

[seabeyond]

16. you dont HAVE to do anything. it is not hard at all for us to feel

and live the beauty that is christmas, and not a single person or THING can interfer at all. christmas is yours to create however YOU chose to experience

i love christmas. love it. never did as a single young adult, but since having kids.... i love it.

[Subdivisions]

30. You know what, I LOVED Christmas when I was a child...and not

just because of the loot but also because I enjoyed watching Mom and Dad enjoy the season and the spirit of giving.

Then I had kids and the shopping was a hassle but you could still put it behind you and try to have a meaningful day. Now the kids are grown and Christmas has become too much about corporate (Wal-Mart) profits followed closely by materialism.

[seabeyond]

67. i mean this sincerely, it is only TOO corporate if that is how someone

makes it. last year boys 8 and 10,.... there wasnt even anything they wanted. my oldest still has his christmas and birthday money from last year. 11 and he is saving up for a car. i am not giving all christmas is to this family to coporate, and you suggesting that is all it is diminishes what all the rest of us have in our christmas. that is not what is actually happening in the families, behind those doors. we have traditions that we do each and every year creating memories that will be passed down from my kids to theirs. i know this because i am passing them traditions that my parents created for me. this year my 18 yr old niece, new to our family again will be coming over to make handmade ornaments for her beginning collections of many christmas's to come because her druggie mom over the years kept losing all their stuff.

what i am saying is you are creating christmas as a darkness for you to experience, but it is not a reality for many. many of us sit in peace, and love and family..... it is a good time. you dont have to see it as you are, you just chose. there is plenty of beauty to see this time of the year IF you chose. i really dont care about the companies and corporations and all the rest. it does not interfer with what we experience.

our theme for this year. my 18 yr old niece that is trying to heal from an abusive father, a mother who is hooked on meth, foster homes.... christmas means something to her. and she is just starting to spend time with my family. a solid family, well structured and a positive environment. we will be doing homemade decorations, baking and spending a lot of time talking about her last handful of years.... in warmth, love and family.

[Subdivisions]

71. Your story is inspirational and your Christmases are truly

blessed.

Please, don't read me wrong. It's not Christmas day and all the joy that goes along with the occasion that is giving me fits, it's the commercialization and the undignified process leading up to Christmas Day.

It sounds as if you have a solid grasp on how to make the whole process a more joyful, dignified and fulfulling occasion.

[no_hypocrisy]

19. Make your own gifts.

For a while, I was doing five-course meals including homemade breads, jams, pies, sides, and a fancy entree.

[Union Thug]

64. That's what we do. We bake mostly. Save yourself the pain

of the winter time Dawn of the Dead re-enactments.

[greenbriar]

20. they will only have 5 of the cheap items

its not worth it at all

[kevinbgoode]

45. Exactly! I tried getting up that early a couple of years ago

and what I found out was that after driving to WalMart, the products I was looking for were gone in FIVE minutes. . .the aisles were packed with hectic - and pushy - shoppers. I went to a wonderful little independent kitchen store that I loved after that for their early morning sale - I was waiting outside the door with other shoppers to get the big discounts. It was impossible to really look at most items because the store was so crowded, and then when I finally selected something, I stood in line for 40 minutes to PAY for it.

It was a shopping nightmare. And I cannot imagine how it puts anyone into a festive spirit of giving when it is nearly consumer warfare out there in the aisles.

I was with a friend today and we stopped at a KMart, which was open with T-day one-day only sales. I really didn't get anything. The store was busy but not crazy. We don't go shopping after tonight for the next month. If we need something desperately, we go out on a Monday night, and only if it can't be ordered online.

[MrSlayer]

21. It's been ridiculous for a long time.

Remember the crush for Cabbage Patch dolls 20 years ago? The idea that you are obligated to spend thousands of dollars for one day that really has no significant meaning anymore is ludicrous. And while it does seem to get worse every year it's always been bad.

[earth mom]

24. I went shopping once on black friday & that was the first and last time.

Didn't get the $50 dvd player and was so annoyed with the whole experience I decided then and there to not shop black friday ever again. Life is too short to play their b.s. game. Screw em.

[last1standing]

25. That's hilarious!

You tell us you're pissed off about the "commercialism" of Christmas then proceed to tell us all how you're getting up at 4am to help make it just a little bit moreso. :lol:

Instead of complaining, why don't you do what many people have already suggested, stay home. Sleep in and wake up at a reasonable time. Then on X-mas morning maybe you and yours can think about the true blessings implied with the holiday instead of ripping open packages of more useless crap.

Just a thought.......

[Subdivisions]

34. You're absolutely right. But as a consumer I can't avoid

shopping. It is hilarious because I HAVE TO take advantage of every sale I can in order to stretch what few dollars I have for Christmas.

The product I'm trying for in the morning is 1/2 Off. That saves me $30 but to save that $30, I have to go and be there right as the doors open. Whatever happened to opening at 9am or 10am like stores used to do?

[last1standing]

43. Why buy it at all?

Unless the stores are selling food at 1/2 off for the morning, I don't see why you need to go in order to stretch your dollars. Instead of playing this game, why not just step back from it and have a consumer-lite X-mas? My wife and I have been doing that for years now and it's so much more special. We get each other a few little things (under $20.00) that have meaning then buy a slightly larger gift for the home. Altogether we spend little more than $100.00 but we love the way it makes us feel. A couple of years ago I wrote her a poem and put it in a decorative box. She actually cried after reading it (I hope that's good :shrug:).

I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but when you post something like the OP on the board it does become somewhat public domain.

[Subdivisions]

47. There will come a time in our lives where we will strive to

achieve such peace and harmony for Christmas.

I think you're lucky to be able to step back from it and I agree with your entire post. I've tried to have a consumer-lite Christmas. Unfortunately, for us Christmas (and the commercialism and meterialism that goes with it) takes on a life of it's own and before you know it theres a sixty gifts under the tree representing a couple thousand bucks and, despite your best efforts to "give to just our immediate family" has flown out the window of the car as you drive from Wal-Mart to Tar-Zhay (or Target for the less sophisticated). And I haven't even mentioned the heaps of new consumer debt you get to go along with that familiar Christmas financial hangover.

[last1standing]

52. I've been there.

We became so disgusted with the rat maze and the herd mentality that we finally broke free from the sickness that's become X-mas. We have definitely pissed off some family with our unwillingness to buy a hundred gifts but we can live with that. Now we're just "the ecentric ones" who don't do things right. :)

But If you want to buy the gifts and be part of the consumer set, I have no problem with that whatsoever. Everyone needs to do what they feel is best for them. I just found it funny that you posted a thread title about your hatred of consumerism then proceded to tell us not that consumerism was bad, merely good at inconvenient times. There's a good bit of irony in there if you go back and read your OP. :)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

63. I buy for my kids... no one else.

and I bake something for everyone else.

Now that my kids are older, they get cash, and we all go shopping AFTER Christmas. They get exactly what they want, for half the price.

[nadinbrzezinski]

86. Then don't complaint

it is a lifestyle choice YOU HAVE MADE, and that choice includes the consuder debt.

Me, debt free, and I like it that way

[havocmom]

55. You HAVE TO eat, drink water, breathe, shit.

All else is either toward those ends or optional activites you make by choice or allow to be made for you.

[eleny]

26. you aren't alone!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2790021

[stillcool]

28. you are absolutely right...

It is a spectacle. A slice of the American pie we've been spoon fed since birth. Our roots and it's roots entwined...and they say religion has nothing to do with politics. Capitalism..ain't it great?

[Nikki Stone1]

29. I recommended your post

It probably won't help, but I thought you might appreciate some support.

[mykpart]

31. I think the stores are doing the 2 hour only sales, etc.

because fewer and fewer people are spending like they used to, and the stores are desperately trying to find new ways to lure you. If we continue to ignore them, perhaps they will eventually get the message. I have also noticed that since the gift card giving became so popular, the after-Christmas sales are pretty sucky too. If you have small children you must do what you can not to disappoint them, but as soon as they are old enough to understand, you can begin to teach them that Christmas is about showing love for one another and not about the "perfect" gift. My children are grown and I do most of my shopping thru mail-order catalogs. I have a closet for "Christmas stuff" which I buy all year and save to give at Christmas. Everyone knows I will give them something I thought they would like, not necessarily something they told me they wanted. It's not a perfect system - I still succumb to the tinsel and lure of the holiday "sales." But I do feel like less of a "sucker."

Most of the advice here is true, though. The stores will continue their tactics as long as they get results.

[Dude_CalmDown]

36. I can't wait to deal with these fools tomorrow.

I'm on the road at 5AM every day - I go to the gym before work because I'd rather be up at 5AM than deal with people who can't get out of the left lane (and I always work on Black Friday because the market closes at 1 and it's hardly a real day considering how slow it is). Every day it's great - just me, my baby (my car) and the occasional cop. But on Black Friday for the last 3 years it's like it's fucking 5PM. People everywhere and they all seem to be extra stupid. I don't know if they're drunk, distracted, retarded or all of the above but I can at least say with certainty that they're pathetic. Then you drive by any store with any kind of name and you see these idiots standing there shivering and drooling on themselves outside these stores and you start to wonder how any of them are coherent enough to deal with the complexity of putting on a pair of pants. What the fuck could be so important? It's just a bunch of stuff.

[asjr]

38. I was a child of the depression and anything

I received was home made. I was more interested in the stuffed stocking. It is amazing how excited I would be for the oranges, apples, nuts and candy cane that was in my very own sock. I think that particular excitement went by the wayside a long time ago. In raising my own family I was very frugal because it has always been expensive raising children. My children never received a lot of things but were very appreciative of what they got. One Christmas we got them a 45 speed record player and about 3 Beatle records. I used to know every word of every song sung by the Beatles they played them so often. I have always tried to instill in them what Christmas is all about so through good times and bad the gifts have been secondary. Keeping in mind that it is a season for family to be together has been my main object.

[Nickster]

39. You'd be surprised at how much of the black Friday stuff is online. You still have to get up

early, but you can score a lot of the deals right at home. I refuse to fight a mob to get some lame deals where they only have 5 items available.

Check out google checkout, you can get 10 dollars off of 30.

http://www.google.com/checkout/holiday/merchants.html

Buy.com has a 20 off of 50 deal by using google checkout as well.

http://www.buy.com/corp/promos/google_offer.asp

Lots of free shipping deals out there as well, you just have to dig a little. PM me if you want any other ideas, I'd be glad to help.

[CoffeeCat]

41. I feel like a total dork...

...because I AM getting up at 4:00 a.m., so I can be at a local department store by 5:00 a.m.

Every year this store puts out a "$10 off any item $10 or more" coupon in the paper. I usually get 40 of these coupons and go to town. I get jewelry, toys, kids clothes, housewares and other things--for less
than a few dollars each. Many things I get for less than $1.

I guess this is the one day of the year where I feel that I can take the corporations for a ride. And boy, do I.

[Subdivisions]

50. Yea, I feel like a dork for participating too, but the product I'm

after happens to be on my list and if I can get it at 5am, I'll save $30 off of the normal price.

[kitty1]

44. My God, shoppers required a flak jacket to pick up a PS3 ...

game recently. People were also trampled to death in a mad rush to get to the limited games available.
Normally sane individuals will turn into savages when it comes to holiday sales. Unbelievable insanity over stuff.
At what point did shopping at Walmart become a gladiator event.
Like someone else pointed out, it was never this bad in years past.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

48. Only two things would make me start my day at 4AM:

1) Having to be at the airport by 6AM or

2) A pre-dawn fire

[CoffeeCat]

53. LOL!

Yer funny!

:) ...pre-dawn fire. LOL

[havocmom]

49. When Christmas becomes a burden instead of a joy

it is time to step away from the rigged game. What you are participating in is someone else's agenda and not Christmas at all.

The year I took a stand and decided to do ONLY what felt appropriate TO ME was the year I really started enjoying the season again. Once again, I could REALLY share the love and kindness it is SUPPOSED to be. It came as a shock to family and friends, but they adjusted. My annual Night Before Christmas Eve Party for friends and neighbors was more relaxed and all had a better time. It set a trend. Many scaled down their expectations, buying, racing about and we started enjoying a lot of time to REALLY appreciate the magic of the season.

Long ago, during a season I was too stressed and annoyed about all the obligations, professional parties and expectations put on me by others, a little old lady, in response to my perfunctory, almost grudging, 'Merry Christmas', squeezed my hand and softly said:
"Yes, dear, it IS what you make it, isn't it? So make it merry"

That woman changed my life. I never saw her before or since. No one in the store in a smallish town knew who she was. But I stopped and thought about what was really hurting me. I was annoyed that I was allowing others to exploit me, my time, my resources, my energy. It stopped there. It took effort to retrain myself, but it was certainly worth every bit of it.

Now, I love Christmas again. Just seeing the lights up ANYWHERE makes me smile. I can bring smiles to others with only a little effort to be kind and open. If I don't have presents to give, well, those who matter never seem to notice.

I choose to believe that frail little old lady all those years ago WAS Spirit of Christmas and I was given a gift beyond measure.

May you too have such a moment.

[BlooInBloo]

51. Yup. If the game ain't fun, don't play.

[NuttyFluffers]

76. ooh, i love stories about coincidence angels

they're the one's that make you stop and see the world for what it really is. and suddenly all the pain and stress melt away in the face of something far more important, love. she might be a real person, but, if only for that moment, she was an angel.

still don't like christmas, though. used to love it, too.

[havocmom]

78. "she might be a real person, but, if only for that moment, she was an angel"

Ya know, I have long thought that may be possible with most of us. We can all be instruments of divine inspiration for others from time to time. If we let ourselves be authentic, perhaps it is more likely to happen. Who knows, perhaps we can be the tool used to ignite some essential light in others. Who is to say whether an unseen hand guides us at such times?

I know that moment with the old lady, and all the pondering I have done since, has made me try to live a more mindful life. It made me richer, even in times when I was homeless and unsure if I would survive. It made me less afraid to be open and authentic with others and I have been fortunate enough to see some changes for the better in others from my actions.

Was thinking about merh's post titled ((((((ripples))))) from a while back (lost the link when the old computer went belly up). We just never know the profound difference we can make on others with the simplest comment or act. Like ripples in water, energy can be sent without notice. Waves can wash up on shores beyond the horizon.

[joe_sixpack]

83. Your post is inspirational

Never was Christmas supposed to be about finding the "perfect" consumer product for distant relatives or friends. The spirit of giving means more than that. People who would return a gift they didn't like probably didn't need one in the first place. I will think about your post often during this Christmas season.

[MaraJade]

54. As I drove home from having dinner with my sister tonight

I saw people camping out in front of our Best Buy here.

Guess that $129 digital camera or the HP Laptop at $249 is sooooooo worth waiting for.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

56. Wait: So You're Basically Saying You Hate The Commercialization Because It Inconveniences You, But

you'd enjoy the commercialization of it just fine if it didn't? So you're not truly resentful toward the commercialization at all then, as you want to partake in it as much as everyone else, you are just simply bitter that you have to wake up early and stand in line in order to do so, correct?

That's what your post says to me, anyway. You are angry because you wish you could engage in the over-commercialization without having to go out of your way for it. If you truly resented the commercialization, you wouldn't be angry about the sale at all. You simply either wouldn't be buying the merchandise you seek or you'd have no problem getting it at a fair price outside of the mad-rush sale.

Just putting your post into the correct reality, is all. It isn't the commercialization you hate, it's the thought of having to go out of your way in order to be part of it.

[Union Thug]

57. Stop playing the game. Release yourself. The power of christ compels you!!!

I hate the whole goddamned sham. I hate every scumsucking marketing and advertising department that helps to brainwash people into this zombie like consumer frenzy.

[and-justice-for-all]

58. I m ordering my xmas online..

..Since everyone is getting the samething this year...

"Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris.

If I had the cash I would get everyone THE GOD DELUSION.

[savemefromdumbya]

73. It's a lot easier to shop online

just a few clicks and you are done.

[porphyrian]

59. You don't have to give crap you go out and buy.

You could give your time. You could give your help. You can create/repair/replace/invent/restore something for someone. The idea that we have to go out to the people farm and pay too much for crap you don't really want is part of our brainwashing, to make us predictable consumers, by advertising agencies, which are nothing more than corporate-employed propagandists. Defy your conditioning. Do something else. Complaining about it is fine, it means you've admitted something is wrong.

[Union Thug]

79. "corporate-employed propagandists"

Perfect description of the role of marketers in this society. In a 'free society' propaganda is more effective than in an openly authoritarian one because it is decentralized and delivered through competing delivery mechanisms - all with a force of capital greater than any single government entity could ever hope to muster. THAT is the beauty of capitalism <sigh>.

Now get out their and spend money you don't have on shit that you don't need. And be merry about it, dammit!

[Alameda]

60. make your presents

that's what I have been doing for years.

[nebenaube]

61. find out what your local artisans are doing and support them instead! n/t

[dweller]

66. thus the war on Christmas has begun?

like sheep to the slaughter they have come.

Somewhere in a penthouse, or an ocean condo a marketing exec is chuckling over the mad mass of shoppers making the 11 o'clock news headline, since there was a pre-emptive build up on the news concerning how many stores and malls would be opening at 1am, 2am, ... 5am, 6am infinitum. Announce a better than believable bargain which is too good to be true, and they will come. Splash it across the headlines as if it's real news, and they will eat it up.

whatever happened to peace on Earth, goodwill towards all?
oh, yeah, that's right, it's not available at Walmart on BlackFriday in the USofA.

you could probably buy whatever you are desiring online and if it's over $50, the shipping would be free(as much as $30 depending on shipping choice). lol.

but then you'd miss out on the excitement, the stress, the drama.whatever.
dp

[ToolTex]

68. It's what you make of it. I give all adults on my lists live rabbit pets and

all children live full grown chickens on leashes. Gifts that are always appreciated! I'm known widely for my thoughtful xmas gifts. Ferrets, being nocturnal, and monkeys also make wonderful gift pets. And jars of leaches should be considered for the medically impaired. For a real surprise gift, try giving staple removers for those that like to have a lot of surgeries.

[flobee1]

72. If you must shop

Do it online. Its so much less of a headache and much less stressful.
My immediate family do a very simple gift exchange
1 gift from each of us, per person
and its something they can use and appreciate
Brother will get a Lowes card-renovating a house
Mom will get a gift card to the bookstore-rabid reader
Dad gets an itunes card-music buff like me(and has my old ipod)
I'm hoping someone gets me a cappachino machine so I dont have to give 4 bucks a pop to starbucks:-)

We are all of the same political mindset and will spend the time during the holidays enjoying each others company.
I did the 4am rush when I was younger(for my brothers gift)because I was the fastest runner in the family. We eventually realized it wasn't worth the effort to fight for plastic junk that eventually we get bored with. Being together is much more important than material things and its what we look forward to now instead of ripping open gifts.

[superconnected]

70. Keep a Journal, and let this help sort it out for you.

The best christmas I ever had, I only bought cards and a cheap box of chocolates for everyone on my list.

The reason wasn't because I didn't have money. It was because the year before NOT ONE PERSON gave me a present. I'd spend several hundred on my family - mom/dad/brother/sisters/nieces and nephews and realized on Christmas that I never got one thing, yet again, and I was always giving.

It helps that I keep a journal and I absolute write when someone gives me something.

Now I'm not one to be picky that people need to buy me things, they don't and I don't expect it.But. after years of spending so much and then to find they can't even give me a card. Screw em.

Keep a journal people, seriously. Don't buy more than you have to. You won't be scrooge, you'll just not be toooo nice any more. And it always sucks being out of money by new years because you gave it all away.

I can't think of anything anyone I know deserves from me that I got on sale after getting up at 4am, because I can't think of anyone that's going to do that for me. And I have a family that LOVES me even though they don't bother buying me gifts. Guess it's because I'm an aunt to lots of kids not a mom. Either way, why play santa to anyone but your own kids. I have none so I can't justify the presents I used to give anymore. It was just me being too nice to people that don't even think of me.

Keep a journal. Keep track. Many of you will be surprised.

[lumberjack_jeff]

74. Use the money you save tomorrow...

... to buy a copy of "your money or your life".

[Mutley]

75. Try working in a store on Black Friday.

I just woke up at 3 a.m. EST so I can get to work at 4. This is going to be the worst work day since... last Black Friday. :cry:

[flobee1]

77. I do, sort of

My job is to keep the retail machines running all day today(registers, recipt printers ect)
Its just as stressful for us as it is for you folks, so keep that in mind if your terminal stops working. I'm the only one working in an hour radius of Wheeling Wv as my co-workers took vacation time and threw me to the wolves on black friday. If you work in this area, be patient, I'm going as fast as I can!!!
:crazy:

[azmouse]

80. Ask people what they got for Xmas last year. Most won't remember a thing!

Once I realized that simple little fact I stopped giving Xmas gifts to anyone but my mother.

Focus on what you like about the holiday... the lights, the songs, the food... and you'll find you remember the holiday long after it's over.

[LWolf]

81. I'm all done with my shopping.

I shop on a budget, too. But I did all of my shopping on-line a month ago, and it's already delivered and stacked neatly in my closet.

The time and fuel saved compensates for the shipping costs, and much of it came with free shipping anyway.

I got many of my gifts here; no shipping, nothing to wrap, just a card to give or send:

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/k.9430/Gift_Catalog.htm?msource=kw866&gclid=CPWzgfqW4IgCFSLiYAodkwSyjA

Last year I gave a couple of subscriptions from this site (the biggest gifts I gave):

http://www.filmmovement.com/

[Odin2005]

84. I'm sick of the Corporatists' War on Christmas

I want a nice winter solstice festival, not consumerist crap.