> When I wrote my post about the "business of December," perhaps I ought to have spelled it "busy-ness" to make it more clear what I meant by it. I don't want people to think that I hate the Christmas season. I just get exhausted by how unrelentingly busy it all is.

I didn't mean to insinuate that you were a grinch who hated Christmas and all things associated with it. My post was a reply to someone else's post in the same thread. Sorry if there was any confusion.

> While I recognize that there is greed and there is materialism associated with Christmas time, I don't believe that there is anything wrong with wanting stuff and enjoying the process of receiving, having, and using it. That's a mistaken perception of what greed and materialism are. People don't suddenly transform into greedy materialists around the holidays, and those who do hold that world view hold it all year long-- not just at Christmas.

I agree that people don't suddenly turn into materialists in December, the holiday season just makes the tendency flare up even more. Also, there is nothing wrong with the desire for material objects in moderation. Humans naturally desire material needs (food, shelter) and wants(aesthetic decorations, new technology.

However, I think that a big problem in our culture is the immoderate desire for material wants (as opposed to needs). This unbalanced desire is what I mean when I say "materialism". Effects of this tendency are discontentment, wastefulness, and, to some extent, the building of a social caste.

Before I go into detail, let me put a caveat on this that maybe my environment is having me put too broad a label on American culture. I have lived in northen New Jersey my whole life and therefore have little experience in other areas of the country. The examples I'm giving may only apply to some areas of NJ, NY, and PA.

Everywhere I go, I am astonished at the staggering amount of things we waste. Around where I live, there is a period where people can put bulk items they don't want anymore by the curb for a specialized garbage truck to pick up. During this period, I enjoy going around and picking up some of the things people leave out because many of the things are in remarkably good shape. I got my first DVD player, about 25% of my wardrobe, and an almost fully functional bicycle, just to name a few of the things I found. People are always looking to get the greatest and biggest thing, and as a result, when they do get a better replacement for an item they already have, out the door the old item goes.

I don't know how it is in other states, but in much of NJ the material objects you own are what define you as a person. If you don't own the right clothes, the right car, or have the coolest CD collection, then you're not worth the effort of friendship. I am not saying that every single person in NJ is like this, I am just saying that it is a cultural tendency that happens often, sometimes even unconciously.

Maybe I'm just overreacting to a few people who are more obssessed with material objects then others. I don't know. It irks me when I see it though. It's getting late, I'm going to bed. As a final note, I am not against owning things, or even owning nice things. I am a capitalist through and through. However, I know that more material objects will not make my life any better than it already is.

mindless"no I don't live in a hippie commune"drivel