Obama tells children to look beyond
gifts and seek the spirit of the season

The holidays are about kindness, the president tells
tech-hungry kids at a Boys & Girls club.

Associated Press

December 22, 2009

Washington

President Obama brought a beloved book to read. He brought a press entourage. He brought cookies shaped like Bo the dog. Hey, he brought himself.

But the president got a little Christmas reality Monday from a bunch of kids.

High-tech toys rule.

OPINION

Stop that Christmas griping

What the tension between what Christmas is and what some think it should be says about America.

by Gregory Rodriguez

December 21, 2009

If there's one thing I dislike more than the rampant commercialization of Christmas, it's everybody complaining about the rampant commercialization of Christmas.

Yes, I realize you may have seen Christmas decorations at your local Walgreens well before Halloween this year. And yes, the cheesy Christmas music playing in Starbucks and my barbershop and everywhere else annoys me too. (Frankly, that Mommy-kissing-Santa-Claus song gives me the creeps.) But please spare me the gauzy romanticization of some pure, pre-commercial American Christmas past.

Maybe it's because ours is the most untraditional and coldly utilitarian of cultures, but whether we're liberals or conservatives, Americans have this terrible tendency to sentimentalize a lost innocence that never really was. Our constant griping about Christmas is a perfect example.

As much as we like to pretend Christmases past were pure and perfect, the holiday was celebrated in some places and ignored in others until the late 19th century. Before that in the U.S., most businesses and schools remained open, and even Congress routinely convened on Christmas Day. And you know all that nostalgia about old-time New England Christmases? It's claptrap. The Puritans once banned the celebration of Christmas, not only because it lacked biblical foundation but because of all the drinking and adult tomfoolery associated with it.

The modern, nationally celebrated Christmas we know today emerged at a time when Americans were urbanizing, factories were expanding their production and mass consumer culture was being born. While Christians happily went along for the ride, it was these demographic and economic forces -- and not a religious movement -- that elevated Christmas to its current status, and not coincidentally made the giving of store-bought goods its particular focus.

In his fascinating 1994 study, "The Modern Christmas in America," historian William B. Waits had little to say about religious influences in the making of contemporary Christmas. Why? "The reason is simple," he wrote. "Religion has not played an important role in the emergence of the modern form of the celebration."

This isn't to say that those who celebrate Christmas don't extract spiritual meaning from their holiday traditions. But in addition to that, or regardless of it, the very commercialism that we complain about is the reason for the holiday's vast popularity. And the implicit tension between giving and getting, generosity and consumerism makes Christmas a cultural paradox.

That's why for the last 100 years, plenty of reformers and religious figures have been at war with Christmas writ large. In 1880, the earnest editors of the New York Times condemned the "extravagant" expenditure and "vulgar ostentation" of the celebration. In 1912, the Sunday-School Times magazine worried that "commercialism has come in and Christ has been crowded out. There was no room in the inn for the mother of Jesus when the great birthday came." Does this all sound familiar?

For a century, the widespread fear that consumption was trumping religiosity inspired movements to make Americans think more about social justice and the poor during the holidays. In 1906, the National Consumers' League launched a "Shop Early Campaign" to oppose longer store hours before Christmas for fear that employers and shoppers would spend less time with their loved ones. In 1912, the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving, or SPUG, fought to end the odd social custom of workers having to buy gifts for their bosses. (Aren't you glad they won?)

For the last four years, a Christian movement called the Advent Conspiracy has encouraged believers to donate money to the needy rather than spend it on lavish gifts. Its four basic tenets are worship fully, spend less, give more and love all.

While I sympathize with these activists, I fear their campaign too will go the way of the Shop Early Campaign. Their passion notwithstanding, they're no match for a $450-billion marketing juggernaut whose seasonal tally helps determine the course of our national economy.

Don't get me wrong; I'd never discourage the purists from raising their questions. After all, contention itself confers importance on an issue in America. And the paradox inherent in modern Christmases is worth grappling with.

The very fact that the battle to save Christmas is joined year in and year out -- and has been since we started down the gift-giving, Black Friday, mallification path of excess -- seals the deal. If the tension lives, the true meaning of Christmas does too, no matter how deep the tinsel gets. And that ought to give everyone at least a little comfort and joy.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rodriguez21-2009dec21,0,7532237,print.column

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EDITORIAL

The gift card Grinch

Fees and early expiration dates can mean that these are the gifts that keep on taking.

December 21, 2009

The tradition of giving is writ large on the holiday season. Sadly, you also have to check the fine print.

Especially when it comes to the gift cards that Americans love to bestow. More than 95% of us have given or received at least one, and in 2007 more than 60% of people surveyed said they planned to give a card that year. Sales of cards were predicted to reach $87 billion this year, and according to Consumer Reports, they are the most desired gift among women.

But some of the cards come with sharp, Grinchy edges -- early expiration dates or monthly fees that kick in when the card isn't being used and that can drain down its value considerably over time. That's led to their reputation as the gift that keeps on taking.

Fees are more common among bank-issued cards than retailer cards, although American Express dropped its fees in October. It had previously charged $2 a month on cards that were more than a year old. Once an iCard Visa gift card turns six months old, the company imposes a $25 charge every six months -- and it takes some hunting to find that information on the website. Bank cards offer consumers the flexibility of shopping at a wider range of retailers, but at the risk of wiping out the value of the card if it's not used quickly. A survey by Consumer Reports found that more than a fourth of the people who receive gift cards for the holidays do not use them within a year.

These fees are levied on top of the initial purchasing charge on the bank-issued cards. Banks must make their money from fees on the card itself, while retailers make their money from the sales of their products. It's understandable for banks to urge quick use of the cards. Unused gift cards throw off their books and predictions of future expenses, like a gigantic version of having an uncashed check confusing the balance of your checking account. But it goes too far when consumers, both gift giver and recipient, lose the value of the card.

Gift cards of any kind can be a good deal for sellers simply because so many people never get around to using them. The Tower Group, a financial services research firm, estimates the current “lost value” of those unused cards at $5 billion -- a big reduction from two years ago, when it was close to $8 billion. In 2006, retailer Best Buy reported a $43-million boost from cards that were unlikely to be used. (Best Buy cards do not expire or have maintenance fees.)

California already prohibits expiration dates or fees on many gift cards -- but not on the bank-issued cards. Last month, the Federal Reserve proposed nationwide restrictions on the cards. They would not be allowed to expire for at least five years. Maintenance or "dormancy" charges would not be allowed unless the card is unused for 12 months, and clearer notification about any fees would be required. The regulations are expected to take effect late next year, a true gift for the holiday shopper.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-giftcards21-2009dec21,0,4499232,print.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the Wall Street Journal

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

		A Town Gets a Sentimental Feeling for Injured Christmas Tree La Vista, Neb., Hopes Suspected Perp's Crime Isn't the Final Cut for a Blue Spruce by DIONNE SEARCEY LA VISTA, Neb. -- Residents of this small city have been gathering for years at Christmastime for the lighting of a 55-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce, singing carols and watching as Santa is hoisted up to touch the star on top. In the small town of La Vista, Neb., the fate of a local vandal is tied to the survival of a 55-foot Colorado Blue Spruce. But after last Christmas, the city learned that a vandal had struck. Someone had hacked through the tree's dense evergreen branches -- and even through strands of lights that had been carefully strung around it -- and attempted to saw it down. Now, the alleged perpetrator's fate depends on whether the tree lives or dies.

La Vista, in the state that created Arbor Day in 1872 to honor trees, was outraged by the damage to the tallest of the several spruces that grow in front of city hall. They were planted more than 40 years ago. "I was extremely upset to think someone was so cruel to try to cut down a tree that had lived so many years," said Helen Sinnett, 79, a resident of La Vista since the city was incorporated in 1960. "Everybody was upset about it."

Calls poured in to city hall from residents whose holiday cheer had turned to post-Christmas anger. Clients who came in for a trim at the Stylehouse Barbershop, where Mayor Douglas Kindig cuts hair, carped to each other from chair to chair.

"This has been a symbol of Christmas for people in this area for years," the mayor said. "There was anger and just utter dismay that someone would do this. People were angry. They wanted revenge."

The town offered a $500 reward, and anonymous tips to a police hotline led them to 19-year-old suspect, Johnathan P. Roy. Police with a search warrant found five handsaws at Mr. Roy's home. He was arrested and jailed on charges of felony criminal mischief, which carries a possible five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. He pleaded not guilty.

Arborcide per se isn't a crime in Nebraska, though it is in other jurisdictions, including New York City. According to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, anyone who cuts down trees on public property can face a year in jail or be fined as much as $15,000 and face other civil fines.

Mr. Roy's trial was scheduled for fall. Plans were in place to feature testimony from a tree DNA scientist who would compare sap residue on the handsaws to the sap of the blue spruce. Crime scene investigators were set to take a rubber impression of the gash and compare it to the teeth of the saws.

But last summer's relatively cool weather and heavy rainfall across the Plains have apparently given the tree a reprieve. It seems to be recovering. Its branches are strong and green, and gray sap drips from the cut, scabbing over the wound in a sign that the tree is trying to heal itself.

Prosecutors called off the trial, at least for the time being, and are waiting to see how the tree fares through winter before proceeding with the case. For now, Mr. Roy's legal fate depends on the health of the tree.

Officials could charge Mr. Roy with a lesser crime and move on. But they say they fear a harsh winter might kill the tree and leave townsfolk feeling that justice hadn't been served.

"It's like having a victim who's lingering in a coma, and you think, gosh, do we charge murder or a serious assault?" said Stephanie Hansen, the Sarpy County prosecutor handling the case. "We're in a holding pattern with nature."

Mr. Roy, now 20, apparently has moved out of state, according to prosecutors and his father, Bob Roy. The younger Mr. Roy couldn't be reached for comment. His lawyer didn't return repeated calls for comment. Mr. Roy's MySpace page lists his occupation as a painter and says he was married in June. In February he wrote, "I'm innocent."

The tree is one of several the city obtained free of charge when a landscaper went out of business. Planted in a small stand near the city offices, the tree grew to overshadow the others. It survived a major ice storm in 1997 and wasn't affected by a disease that a few years ago killed off the only other spruce that approached its height.

La Vista started decorating its spruce about two decades ago, for a time stringing so many Christmas bulbs that workers had to turn off the lights in city hall before flipping the switch on the tree to avoid blowing a fuse. Through the years, the tree became so special to the town that planners in the early 1990s drew a blueprint for a new city hall and community center around it.

The tree's wound still feels fresh for those city employees who discovered the damage.

Squatting recently at the scene of the crime inside the tree's dense canopy, Dutch Sevener, a maintenance worker, described finding the cut as he took down strands of the tree's 3,500 new LED lights. "I hollered, 'Whoa, somebody's started cutting the tree down!" said Mr. Sevener. "It was devastating."

He crouched on his knees and gently traced the jagged cut. La Vista Park Superintendent Brian Lukasiewicz took out his black pocketknife and stuck it in the groove, running it around the trunk, to show how deep it went. He pointed to what appeared to be the beginnings of a v-shaped notch the suspect also had engraved, a technique used to fell a tree in a certain direction.

"It was like someone kneed me in the stomach," Mr. Lukasiewicz said, he said, while perched under the lines of colorful bulbs snaking throughout the tree again this Christmas. "There were people who were literally in tears, sick, over this."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126144470716600971.html#printMode

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the White House

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giving Thanks and Giving Back

As part of her ongoing commitment to community service, First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded an effort among White House staff this holiday season to support Toy for Tots, a program that donates toys to children for Christmas.

Just last week, she visited the Quantico Toys for Tots warehouse in Stafford, VA to drop off some of the toys donated by White House employees.

Toys for Tots is a program run by the U.S. Marine Corps reserve that has distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children over the past 62 years.  In 2008 alone, the program was active in 657 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Learn how you can be part of the Toys for Tots program in your local community by visiting ToysforTots.org .

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/21/giving-thanks-and-giving-back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bounty hunter searches for Santa