Christmas Mailbag: There's nothing but Wal-Mart in my hometown!

Just watched "What Would Jesus Buy?". I don't quite get your angle but I very much get your message. As a person who has protested a time or two herself I know what it takes to do what you do and buddy, I salute you. You've got some big brass balls! You, your wife and choir are my new heroes. I'm not a Christian but, as an American, I too have suffered under the yoke of Christmas. It's relentless in it's pursuit of one's time and treasure and I dread it annually. I am proud to say though that, in recent years, I have been working hard to "buck the system" and, much to the disapproval of family and friends, have all but stopped buying them worthless crap for Christmas. Last year I gave almost all either letters or charitable gifts in their names. I felt good but I think I might have been the only one who did! Up with feelings, down with junk!!!

I have a question for you though. In my community, Main Street is entirely gone and all we have are big box stores and national chains. I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague already and virtually never buy anything I don't need pretty badly but, Brother, where can a girl get what she needs when you can't find almost anything made in America anymore. It's not the cost. I'd pay triple for something American made over Chinese crap (thanks to my hefty corporate American salary garnered off the backs of my outsourced manufacturing counterparts in - ahem - China). You simply can't find non-chain stores carrying American goods anymore. Suggestion?

Thank you for what you're doing!!! If everybody in America would just think about your message for 10 minutes, they'd change their ways and their lives!

Cindy

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Dear Cindy

You put your finger on the nature of this revolution. You're heard, "What if they threw a party and nobody came!" That's what needs to happen. To a degree that is already changin our world, this is actualy happening. Retail grosses are not increasing like they want, and there have been no major malls openingin the US in the last 18 months. If got to take it a step further though. We've got to become the change we seek, as Mahatma Gandhi said. We've got to be the gift we give. When the big boxes destroyed your Main Street, you can be the gift yourself and still not go to the chain store. Dance, tell a story, help out, sing a song you created yourself -- be your own magic gift. If everbody in America did that, as you say -- they'd change their ways and their lives!

Rev