Home
In this issue
Nov. 20, 2009
Rabbi David Aaron: How to make every second of your life come first
Caroline B. Glick: Whither American Jewry
Nov. 19, 2009
Binyamin L. Jolkovsky: Please Listen to this Godcast (5 minutes)
Jonathan Tobin: ADL Crosses the Line with Report Bashing Obama Critics
Nov. 18, 2009
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile
JWisdom.com: The (Jewish) Dating Game with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (8 minutes)
Nov. 17, 2009
Steven Emerson: How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
JWisdom.com: If Frank Sinatra married Edith Piaf with Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein (2 minutes) Life lessons from what would be regarded as the most inappropriate lyrics ever sung
Nov. 16, 2009
The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : When borrowing is stealing
JWisdom.com: Deconstructing faith with Rabbi Warren Goldstein (9 minutes)
Nov. 13, 2009
JWisdom.com Sarah's subjective reality with Rabbi Sroy Levitansky ( 6 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick: Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity
Nov. 12, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet By Marialisa Calta : A sweet sweet potato treat
JWisdom.com Does God get tired? with Rabbi Harvey Belovski ( 5 minutes)
Nov. 11, 2009
Rabbi Avi Shafran: Jews and money: When anti-Semitism isn't
JWisdom.com Marriages are not made in Heaven with Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff (VERY fast 15 minutes)
Nov. 10, 2009
Michael Doyle: Author of book exposing CAIR ordered to remove supporting documents from Web
JWisdom.com If the creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers? with Rabbi Naftali Brawer (9 minutes)
Nov. 9, 2009
Mark Steyn: Shooter exposes hole in U.S. terror strategy
JWisdom.com It's never too late to have a happy childhood with Sarah Chana Radcliffe (5 minutes)
Nov. 6, 2009
Rabbi Berel Wein: Choosing to hear
JWisdom.com Zero to 1/60th: How to Empower An Hour with Gavriel Aryeh Sande (7 minutes)
Caroline B. Glick The mullahs' big week
Suzanne Fields A Fallen Wall for Fallen Man
Nov. 5, 2009
The Kosher Gourmet: Three scrumptious -- but simple -- butternut squash dishes
JWisdom.com Hidden Hints: Unlocking Faith & Prayer with Rabbi Jay Yaacov Schwartz (10 minutes)
Nov. 4, 2009
Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger: Should prayers be covered?
JWisdom.com When God played peacemaker With Rabbi Sroy Levitansky (5 minutes)
Nov. 3, 2009
Martin Peretz: Beware, Barack. Beware, Rahm. Beware, Axelrod
JWisdom.com Are you are closet idolater? With Sara Yoheved Rigler (10 minutes)
Nov. 2, 2009
Paul Greenberg: The Holocaust is now on Facebook
JWisdom.com Abraham's Strange Change With Rabbi Yitzchok Fingerer (5 minutes)
Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review Dec. 21, 2006 / 30 Kislev 5767

Online Shopping: The New Humbug?

By Lloyd Garver


Printer Friendly Version
Email this article

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | You probably know at least a couple of people who impress you — or more likely, annoy you — when they smugly announce in November each year that they have finished their holiday shopping.


These days, there is a sub-group of these early bird shoppers: those who finish all their shopping weeks — or months — ahead of time and do it all online. I read about a woman who boasted that she did all her Christmas shopping on the day after Thanksgiving without ever leaving her home. To me, this is a dubious accomplishment. Why is it necessarily a good thing to spend the holiday shopping season without ever leaving your home? Is the current holiday slogan, "'Tis the season to avoid other people?"


Online holiday shopping can be a great convenience. If you definitely know what you want for that person who lives far away, and you want it wrapped and delivered, the internet is wonderful. And for people who aren't able to leave their homes, e-shopping is a blessing.


I'm just suggesting that for those who are capable of getting out there, they're missing out on something if they do all of their shopping from their computers. Don't you want to feel how soft that teddy bear is, or browse through that art book you're considering? Doesn't it make sense to actually smell that perfume you're buying instead of just clicking on a picture of it?


I know what some people consider the big negatives of holiday shopping, especially last minute shopping: It's hard to find a place to park. Stores are crowded, and they may no longer have that thing in stock that you've been buying "in your head" for months.


But these things aren't necessarily negatives. What a great sense of accomplishment I get after people tell me that I'll never find a place to park two days before Christmas when a big parking space opens up just as I pull in front of the store. And as for those stressed-out shopping crowds, try thinking of them as a community with a "we're all in this together" attitude. Complaining to each other about shopping is certainly within the concept of holiday sharing. And if the store is out of what you had planned on buying, isn't it a great feeling when you discover something else that's even better?

Donate to JWR


OK, maybe you think I'm being ridiculously naïve. You're not the kind of person who could ever see other shoppers as a "community;" rather, you feel they are the hated enemy that's keeping you from buying what you want, getting out of the store, and getting home to put your feet up. I still think it's important that you at least experience holiday shopping in person. Even if it's just for a little bit. Even if it puts you in a bad mood. Honk at that car that stole your parking space. Yell at that person who cut in front of you in line. And angrily insist on seeing the manager if a salesperson has been rude to you. But interact with real people at this time of year! I kind of think that's what we're supposed to do during this season.


When I was a kid, my parents would take us downtown to see all the decorations. We would watch those magical displays in the windows until we got cold enough to need hot chocolate. It was a nice tradition. Today, public decorations are even more inclusive, since more and more often, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are represented. To hear some of the rigid Christmas-only-ites tell it, so many holidays and groups are represented, that they are making it hard to see the downtown Christmas trees. So, you'd think that this tradition would be flourishing.


But I'm afraid it will die out. That's why I think people should put up with the inconvenience of old-fashioned shopping, even if it's just for one outing. If not, traditions like taking kids to see decorations, or listening to carolers, or running into people while shopping whom you haven't seen for years will be as outdated as, well, as a black-and-white computer monitor.


I can imagine in the not-too-distant future a family having a "tradition" like this: Everybody will be in their holiday pajamas when the parents call out: "Come on kids, gather around. It's that magical time of year again. Let's do what we always do, and look at that Web site that has the animated Santa, juggling a screwdriver set."

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Lloyd Garver has written for many television shows, ranging from "Sesame Street" to "Family Ties" to "Frasier." He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. Comment by clicking here. Visit his website by clicking here.

Archives

© 2006, Lloyd Garver

Insight (Our Columnists)

 Arnold Ahlert
 Mitch Albom
 Michael Barone
  Dave Barry
 Tony Blankley
 Andy Borowitz
 David Broder
 Stratfor Briefing
 Mona Charen
 Linda Chavez
 Ann Coulter
 Greg Crosby
 Larry Elder
 Suzanne Fields
 John Fund
 Frank J. Gaffney
 Lloyd Garver
 Jonah Goldberg
 Julia Gorin
 Jonathan Gurwitz
 Paul Greenberg
 Lewis Grossberger
 Victor Davis Hanson
 Betsy Hart
 Nat Hentoff
 David Horowitz
 Laura Ingraham
 Cheri Jacobus
Jeff Jacoby
 Paul Johnson
 Jack Kelly
 Ed Koch
 Ch. Krauthammer
 Michael Ledeen
 John Leo
 David Limbaugh
 Kathryn Lopez
 Rich Lowry
 Michelle Malkin
 Jackie Mason
 Dick Morris
 Bill O'Reilly
 Jim Mullen
 Clarence Page
 Kathleen Parker
 Dennis Prager
 Wesley Pruden
 Tom Purcell
 Jonathan Rauch
 Celia Rivenbark
 Robert Robb
 Cokie & Steve Roberts
 Pat Sajak
 Debra J. Saunders
 Culture Shlock
 Roger Simon
 Michael Smerconish
 Thomas Sowell
 Mark Steyn
 John Stossel
 Cal Thomas
 Bob Tyrrell
 Diana West
 Dave Weinbaum
 George Will
 Walter Williams
 Byron York
 Mort Zuckerman

'Toons
 Robert Arial
 Chuck Asay
 Baloo
 Chip Bok
 Dry Bones
  Lisa Benson
 John Branch
 Gary Brookins
 John Cole
 J. D. Crowe
 John Deering
 Brian Duffy
 Everything's Relative
 Mallard Fillmore
 Jake Fuller
 Bob Gorrel
 Joe Heller
 David Hitch
 Jerry Holber
 Steve Kelley
 Jeff Koterba
 Dick Locher
 Chan Lowe
 Ranan R. Lurie
 Jimmy Margulies
 Rick McKee
 Michael Ramirez
 Kevin Siers
 Jeff Stahler
 Ed Stein
 Danna Summers
 John Trever
 Gary Varvel
 Kirk Walters

Lifestyles
 How 2
 Lori Borgman
 The Savvy Consumer
 Elder matters
 Fixit
 Dr. Peter Gott
 GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
 Richard Lederer
 Tech Maven
 Every Monday Matters
 Nutrition Myths
 Bookmark These
 Bruce Williams
 How Stuff Works