Are you ever disgusted by the greed and consumer lust that occurs this time each year?

This morning I read this article about a Wal*Mart employee who was trampled to death by the crowd of people stampeding in to buy cheap crap. Doorbuster indeed. Has it really come to this?

Is there really any meaning in the season anymore, or is it pretty much about getting, getting, getting? You don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate a holiday this time of year, so I’m not ranting in that direction. Mostly, hearing about the death of this poor minimum-wage-earner has made me embarrassed to be a human being, and I hope someone can share good tidings of great joy. Are there redeeming features to our species, or are we pretty much doomed to collapse in on our own emptiness?