Many have argued that the true spirit of Christmas is not giving, but consumerism in which corporations delude us into buying what ever it is they have to sell. I actually don't think consumption and consumerism are inherently bad things. There are billions of people living in poverty where consumer products--such as toilet paper--could make a big difference in their lives. Try living without toilet paper, or a toilet for that matter, for a week and I think you'll agree.

For me it gets down to: Will this product actually improve my life and the lives of people around me, or will it become just another rarely-used thing the clutters my environment and my psyche?

Every year, the company I work for creates a Holiday/Christmas CD of employee-submitted songs. Many, if not most, of the songs are parodies, and in that vein I made a song titled "Shoppin' in the Free World." As you probably guessed, it's a parody of a Neil Young song. I sent the song to a friend who asked if she could make a video for it. Of course, I said yes. Enjoy.

p.s.
Here's a link to a version with higher audio and video quality for those that care:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JEvA2tEDYA&fmt=18