I read this article with great interest as this is something I've been thinking more and more about this holiday season as the right-wing in the US declares its war on the "war on Christmas." It strikes me as sad, among other emotions, that this is the focus of the controlling political party...the semantics of holiday greetings rather than the stark reality of poverty in this country and others and the power that our "christmas" dollars could have over recent tragedies and relieving the pain of those both near and far. Toy drives, in concept, are great...they make us feel nice, and we make Christmas morning happy for some needy child, but in my mind, it begs a bigger question in what we are creating...more consumers, rather than addressing more important issues. Consumerism is really waging a greater, and far more successful war on Christmas than any "politically correct" retailer. Additionally, while I appreciate the effort of the Salvation Army bell ringers...their discriminatory policies prevent me from giving them money at this time, or any other. However, charity or tzedakah, is a requirement of the Jewish religion. We are asked to give and then give again, and not, as with tidings, to the church or temple, but to others who are more needy. The opportunities for giving at this time of year are as bountiful as any Christmas table hopes to be, but the publicity for these charities is as non-existent as the hanukkah section at most major retailers. Retailers, who as corporate machines, have the ability to inundate us with psuedo-cheer in the form of buying and spending and giving...without celebrity, very few charities have the public relations power to convert the good feelings at this time of year to money. Which, in itself, brings up the issue of American isolationism. We are, as a country, very good at ignoring, or remaining happily uninformed, about the poverty, tragedy and neediness of the rest of the world. Because of our relative size, we remain insular. We are, for whatever reason, incapable on a large scale of thinking globally, of behaving as good global citizens. We are too concerned with being good American citizens (read as consumers). We are not that far from 1920s Italy; call it fascism, or as Mussolini preferred, corporatism. Regardless, the end effect is the same. As long as we allow corporations and the rich to run this country, and set its path, we will remain poor global citizens, obsessed more with consuming than giving. It's a sad state of affairs for Christmas, and the so-called Christmas spirit, when the number of lights and blow up santas and reindeer on our lawns are a truer sign of our Christmas spirit, than our ability to give to others who really do need shelter from the storm, or even a manger to sleep in. Jennifer USA