I don't think you are grinchy at all. This year I've noticed more ads than ever before where the gift is a car.

A car!!?

President Bush was on TV today telling us all to do more shopping, to keep it up! To me, this is just wrong, for the president to be shopper-in-chief. I used to be happy with a new doll and a flannel nightie. Now people want expensive electronics and diamonds.

Then there was the brouhaha in an airport where a rabbi asked for a menorah, so the airport took all the Christmas trees down -- then put them back up when the rabbi backed down from a lawsuit.

I think we shoud take all the trees out of the airports and auto show rooms and put Christmas back in our livingrooms and places of worship.

Around here, when the snowbirds double the population, people get really mean over snagging parking spots as they do their holiday shopping, too.

So don't get me started. I'll see your grinch and raise you two scrooges.

I enjoy some of the holiday music, but I don't listen more than I want to. And it's nice when charitable organizations reach out to people in need. So I guess that's the upside.