Of Plunder & Charity

Christmas ads are smothering me. Email ads, invited or not, pop up telling me where to shop to get the most bang for my Christmas bucks. Mailbox stuffers weigh in too...and if I wanted to buy another new car, Santa is selling them as the elves run the toy shop. Even the little bookstore--that I remain fond of, although I don't work there anymore--has jumped into the commercialism fray. As part of the St. Louis Alliance of Independent Booksellers, it invites me to purchase a book so it may be donated to a homeless shelter. I would prefer to give freely in peace without believing that a bookstore, or any other business, will earn a dollar as I support its chosen charity. But it is a confusing time of year. I want to spend my Christmas present dollars wisely and yes, the discounts and deals-of-the-day stretch my buying power. I also want to do that extra boost of remembering others. So I'm annoyed at myself for being annoyed at the little bookstore and its sincere effort at charity. In part, I blame Amazon. Independent bookstores are scrambling to find and maintain their niche in the face of Amazon's Scrooge-like behavior. The internet giant is reportedly rewarding customers who price-shop in stores and then purchase on Amazon. The small bookstores that bleed pink, if not bright red, are owned by booklovers. Imbedded in worries about tomorrow, they may not see the discomfort that comes in aligning themselves so purely with a charity that puts a little something in their own pocket. Perhaps next year they might fine tune their good-hearted effort to match the donations of their customers. But, I digress. This holiday season, I have bought from Amazon and other internet retailers. I spent other, more fun, dollars shopping local. I will support the little bookstore's holiday effort to place books in the hands of homeless mothers who want to read gently worded, peaceful bedtime stories to their young children. Most likely, I will grab a book from my home stash and donate it on the sly, without it ever crossing paths with the store cash register. At the same time, I will purchase a book from the little bookstore as I know its heart is in the right place, and I want it to do as well as any other business in this season of holiday plunder.