Customs with a Curse
'Tis the season—a time for beautiful music, lovely pageantry, parties, fun and family time, the annual bedlam in shopping malls, specialty stores and discount houses and, increasingly, over the Internet.
Much of the world is caught up in what is called the “spirit of the season,” evidenced by a gift-buying frenzy which often puts the purchasers deep into debt and which fills the coffers of the merchants.