The true meaning of Christmas

Killing people so you can get the best deals on your Christmas gifts.

That's what Jesus would want.

Even leaving Jesus out of the equation (sigh) I CANNOT imagine someone that had been part of that melee giving me a gift. "Oh, you trampled a man to death so you could get me these earrings? No, really, thank you. Your dedication to giving is astounding."

From the article:

By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault. [...] Suddenly, witnesses and the police said, the doors shattered, and the shrieking mob surged through in a blind rush for holiday bargains.

"Oh, you literally broke into that Wal-Mart and elbowed people in the face and shoved people and screamed so you could get me this hot chocolate set? I'm so flattered. You're one hell of a friend."

“When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since yesterday morning,’ ” Ms. Cribbs told The Associated Press. “They kept shopping.”

"You walked past a dead man and refused to leave the scene of a crime so you could get me this Tweety Bird t-shirt? Oh, but you got it for 20% off. Well, that's okay."

I've done my best this year to pare down my shopping. I don't want to be a scrooge, and I want to participate in gift giving with my closest friends and family, but I will never be a blood-thirsty, blind, consumer driven Christmas shopper. I really can understand taking advantage of Black Friday sales, but you'll never see me in a store on Black Friday.

I'm really close to Scrooge this year, y'all. I love all of my friends and family, but I'd rather donate to a charity in everyone's name than give anyone a Christmas present, if this is the kind of thing I'm contributing to.