Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously?

Advent Day #15...entering the third week and the quote today from Pastor Michael deals with the intersection of Christmas and Commercialism:
             “Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to 
               us by cola, fast food, and beer… Who’d have ever guessed that product consumption, popular 
               entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously?” ― Bill Watterson

I spent the day looking online for a Hess Truck, 2015 version.  Not to buy it for me, but because a wonderful man in my town wants to give them as gifts to his grandsons (a family tradition) and the only ones available are on Amazon for $132 (original sale price from Hess site, $30).  Although I fully understand the laws of supply and demand and the tenets of Capitalism, it saddens me that, as with scalping tickets, people can find the hot toy, the hot event, the hot product and buy a bunch to reduce supply so that they can profit from the increased demand that ensues....  Christmas calls us all to help others, so I am going to try to help this man.  

Michael asked us to make a list of how we might be called to live differently during the Christmas Season. Honestly, I think I try to live the Christmas season each and every day, but how about:
   1) smiling more
   2) sing loudly
   3) help others (even more than usual)
   4) self-reflection (this is why I like the Living Advent prompts so much)
   5) partnership with animals (I love the living creche - we got our family shot this year!)
   6) live a giving life

and the list goes on and on..... would that the happiness and love and joy of the season extend to the other 11 months of the year as well!

As Psalm 37 says: 
"Depart from evil, and do good;
   so you shall abide for ever."

Amen!