so this is Christmas

It's easy to say that Christmas (for those who celebrate it) is over-commercialized. Each year, K and I venture into the four shopping malls that permeate our lives in the hope of bestowing some measure of happiness to those on the receiving end. We practically learned how to drive years ago when we would do our December shopping on the weekends. Then, as now, I find the process overwhelming. No one seems happy when they shop at these times of year since no one either has the time or can find the perfect gift. I mean, is the special edition of Office Space or boxed set of eight different fragrances from Victoria's Secret going to change the life of the average middle class American?

I like to think that, in the vein of Charlie Brown, that it is the spirit of Christmas that counts. Certainly, there are moments on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day when I believe this to be true. Glancing at the parking lot of Target is not one of them.

For many, Christmas is a huge expense. In 2004, sales grew by 6.7 percent. This year, according to the Washington Post,

The NRF has been among the most bullish, forecasting sales growth of 6
percent, to $439.53 billion. Other groups, like the International Council of
Shopping Centers, expect a more modest increase of 3 percent to 3.5
percent.

[To put it into perspective, the The International AIDS Vaccines Initiative estimates that the total annual spending on an AIDS vaccine is $682 million.]

Maybe it's good that Christmas comes but once per year.