I suppose it's not known as black Friday for nothing - the kickoff to the busiest shopping time of the year was expected to usher in a weekend of retail bottom line bliss with 180 million customers ringing up receipts nationwide.

There's no hot Furby-Cabbage Pitch Kids-Tickle Me Elmo-fight-to-the-death toy this year, but that isn't expected to change much. The National Retail Federation predicts a 4.5 percent increase on holiday spending with a projected total of $219.9 billion. If you're keeping track at home, that's an average of $700 a person.

In most cases, it's $700 right to the credit card. Buy now, worry later.

Not surprisingly, the holidays are not just a time of giving to loved ones. About 40 percent of all charitable donations come during this joyous season. Perhaps, for some, it's to balance the guilt of spending so much, or the I've-already-rung-up-so-much-on-my-credit-card-what's-a-few-more-dollars mentality. According to John the Baptist's math, the whole if-you-have-two-tunics-give-one-to-your-neighbor seems to rarely apply.

And neither, in my experiences on Black Friday, does the whole concept of cheerful giving. Cruising the mall with my mall security approved press pass, I was amazed at all the gloomy faces. Many of the people I talked to were simply exhausted and generally annoyed - the early morning rising, the long lines, the horrendous traffic. "I've been up since five this morning," one woman told me as she leafed through about a dozen receipts. Before walking on, I wondered to myself how many of those items would be exchanged the day after Christmas, and also if past experience made her extra careful to make sure she had all the receipts in order. "I wanted the green one, mommy!"

Over at Best Buy, I watched as a guy cussed out a cop because he couldn't drive out the normal exit. "Do I have to go all the way around the back of the store," he asked, leaning against the outside of his car, which was stopped right in front of a row of cones. "Yeah, that's why the cones are there," the cop said. "Didn't you see them when you came in?" Next thing you know this guy lets a vulgar word slip and it's showdown in the parking lot.

Not everyone I met was nasty ‹ a mother and her visibly embarrassed teenage daughter were sporting the slogan "Annual Black Friday Shop 'Til You Drop" on homemade shirts and were going strong by 12:30 p.m. despite having gotten up at 3 a.m.

Though much more grouchy than this cheery pair from the shore, I have to appreciate the honesty of one husband waiting impatiently for his annual shopping trip with his wife and in-laws to end. "I have no idea why everyone is out," he said. "I just want to go home."

Incidentally, I spent 80 cents on my whole journey. I spent it at the post office to send a postcard. I've decided that I'm going to continue what's becoming my own tradition of skipping out on the big box commercial shopping experience for the holidays. At the very least, I've made it a commitment to spend as much on charity as I do on my friends and family who are already blessed with more than they really need.

Why is it we can spend so much on Christmas gifts and in the same breath make up so many excuses for not doing more than dropping a dime in a bucket for the poor? Why do we need so much of everything when there are so many people in our world with nothing?

While in England, I started my holiday shopping by purchasing a fair trade gift for my mom from a church-run fair trade store, wondering all the while why more churches in the states don't do the same. I've also done quite a bit of searching online for fair trade items. Unfortunately, it's not as "convenient" as fighting the crowds at the shopping complexes to get the latest deal, but for shoppers looking for a unique gift there's no equal.

If you're interested in giving straight up to the Third World, World Vision has a holiday catalog where you can buy a goat for $100 for a family in the Third World and a whole other assortment of supplies and animals infrastructure needs. There's also organizations like Compassion International, which I've already linked up with to sponsor a child for $28 a month - I should be receiving my information about Niwindinda, a 13-year-old boy from Uganda soon. And of course there are Web sites galore like Globalexchange.org, the Fair Trade Federation and more that link you to fair trade shops online. There's also 10,000 Villages, a Mennonite-run retail store which has several locations throughout the country. Fair trade coffee, tea or chocolate make great gifts, especially because you can count on them being put to use. Equal Exchange and Pura Vida are just a couple online shops I've found for that.

There are some people out there who will suggest spending less for Christmas this year, simplifying to cut back on the stress related with having to buy, buy, buy. I find it good advice that I've kept by default of my bank account over the years. Homemade gifts are also a great option, so I'm brainstorming. Artistic friends are always a good resource - perhaps I'll buy a painting from someone I know who paints well. Downtown stores need the support too and it makes for a fun shopping experience - is parking on the street a few blocks away from Main Street really so bad?

If we can spend $219 billion in this country, performing our patriotic duty or whatever they call it running up our credit cards in order to buy something on sale to fill up someone's closet or attic down the road, then I say we have a responsibility to give about half of that away to people right here at home and in other parts of the world who deserve to be compensated for their work. After all, isn't that the way John the Baptist would have it? And didn't he "prepare the way" for the one that is responsible for this whole holiday in the first place.

posted 11.26.04