Does all the stress of the holiday shopping have you feeling grumpy?

I talked with a friend who is at her wit's end!
Shopping is not fun.

It only reminds her of commercialism and materialism
and the selfishness those isms inspire.
Feeling dismal and dreary,
 she is ready to forget the whole holiday.

I understood what she was saying.
It seems the shopping endeavor
has become a ruthless competition
of how much stuff can I buy for how little money.
 We feel inadequate if we pay a dollar more for the silly widget
 than if we'd gone across the street.
Maybe the gloom is
because we are completely disconnected
from the real people of commerce.
A grumpy sort of feeling is the result.

How do we leave "grumpy" and become "happy"?
For me leaving the giant parking lots
and huge expanses of stuff in overgrown buildings
has fixed the dread.
Each day labeled "shopping" on my calendar is greeted with excitement.
Because people owning and working
in the little shops of St. Louis are just folks.
 They are working hard to be of service
and provide a livelihood for their families...
They are not opponents in that game
of how much stuff can I get for how little money.

They are neighbors and friends.
 Their hard work and business expertise
add to the richness of our community.
 I'm finding shopping small is not  more expensive
than big,
 however, even if it were,
 it would be so worth having a few less things under the tree
to experience the happiness of small shop shopping.