The point of the workshop, of course, on this Black Friday Weekend, is to point out that consumer culture has really sold us a bill of goods when it comes to celebrating Christmas. We've been conditioned to believe that it's all about buying each other presents, eating, drinking and being merry to the point of excess. But we already have enough stuff, and the only gifts in the original Christmas story were those brought by the Magi to a dirt-poor family who were about to flee persecution.
There's nothing wrong with celebration in these darkest days of the year -- but as with anything good, moderation is key. And even though marketers are doing their darndest to convince us that the economy is the bottom line and we all need to support it by our Christmas shopping, I'd like to put a bug in your ear: take the money you were thinking about spending this Black Friday Weekend, and give it to a homeless shelter, or an organization that helps newcomers, or, if you prefer, a facility that supports war veterans and their families. The economy is only important in the way it serves the least among us, and it doesn't do that very well.
True Christmas gifting isn't about us, it's about those in need.
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