The first was about the Brothers Marley (NOV 16), who were picketing stores that didn’t use the word “Christmas”.  Next, we wrote “What’s It All About?” (NOV 30), followed by “The Children Are Watching …” (DEC 7), which discussed dysfunctional behavior at Christmas.

     However, there seems to be no limits to the commercialism that afflicts an otherwise joyful, beautiful Season, so here we go again.

     Let’s get to the point.  A major, well-known national retailer has been selling gift certificates with pictures of models in various stages of undress, as well as in mildly suggestive poses.  To be fair, not all of this retailer’s gift certificates are that way.  About half of them look quite innocent.  And of course, no one is obliged to buy any of these gift certificates if he or she doesn’t want to.

     But here’s the problem:  the pictures on the gift certificates are folded over so that they are concealed from the buying public.  You have to know enough to open and inspect them before you pay for them – they are not refundable items.  If you happen to buy a certificate that’ll offend the recipient, then you are stuck with it.

     The exact nature of the offending pictures on the gift certificates isn’t important.  Suffice to say that some of these photographs can be described by using that overworked phrase “soft core pornography”.  However you feel morally about such matters, we claim that it is extremely bad taste (at a minimum) to adorn Christmas gifts that way.

     There have been other disturbing Holiday Season incidents recently.  One of them was the unsuccessful attempt to introduce O.J. Simpson’s book on December 1.  There has been violence connected with this year’s Holiday parties.  Violence over buying Playstations resulted in major tragedies.  Wal-Mart recently pulled the plug on some of their more aggressive ads, but clearly, some others of us need to get a grip on ourselves.

     If you happen to buy a certificate that'll offend the recipient, then you are stuck with it.

     Why does all this happen?

     Well, first of all, Christmas sells.  Retailers realize this.  Half or more of their sales occur during the Christmas Season.  Most of them lose money if they don’t have a successful buying season at Christmastime.  That’s makes the Season pretty commercial, but so far, so good.

But remember - sex also sells.  If you don’t believe that, take a look at TV ads and the listings at your favorite cinemaplex.  So as a result, some genius who received an MBA in Marketing from a mail order university in Mozambique put two and two together, and said, “Let’s make Christmas sexy.”

     That’s what has happened to Christmas, in this Year of our Lord 2006.

     We think that’s awful.  We could be accused of being too Puritanical, but we don’t agree.  After all, without sex, there wouldn’t be many humans left to do Christmas shopping for, now would there?  No, it’s just that we think there is a time and place for everything.

     So please take our advice.  Check your Christmas gift certificates before you pay for them, particularly if they come from a certain national, high-pressure retailer.