Some holiday purchases mean much more than others

Frontiersman editorial board

And so the madness begins. The day after Thanksgiving is usually the biggest shopping day of the year. Many stores open early on the last Friday of November, and many of those will remain open later than usual. The aisles will be thronging with shoppers, and the registers will burn up more receipt tape than on any other single day all year. The newspapers from Thursday were almost too thick to fit in the plastic wrappers, but most of that volume was due to the sales flyers.

As the economy shows signs of recovery, it's good news to many that an intense round of consumerism may be at hand.

As those of us who have the good fortune to partake in the shopping frenzy head out to the stores, it might be worthwhile to add a few items to our lists.

Several local schools and other organizations have recently hosted successful food drives, and we might all do well to follow their example. As we ring up holiday meal receipts in the hundreds of dollars, it couldn't hurt to add a few items for charity. Though the food banks will likely be flush with food after the recent drives, the holidays are likely to deplete the shelves, and things always get tight after the holidays. While the good will of the holidays can be short-lived, hunger lasts all year. We can all help reduce that with just a little sacrifice.

The same goes for the non-perishable items on our lists. Before we all stock up on new electronic goodies, CDs, kitchen gadgets and designer clothes, it might be a worthy exercise to put together a list of a different sort. On one side we might list the things we want, and on the other side we could jot down the things we need. No doubt the latter list will be much shorter, but it will matter much more. We all likely know someone who is lacking something from that needs list. If each of us dropped one item from our wants, and purchased that needed item for someone less fortunate, the holidays would be brighter, indeed.

Lastly, it might be worthwhile to purchase a few old-fashioned items, like board games and the sorts of things that put families at the same table for a few hours each week. Sure, they're not as intense as computer games, but it's hard to play a board game solo. If you make that purchase and resolve to use it, part of the holiday spirit will last all year. Happy holidays.