Spend to love

For stores, a very un-merry holiday

Sales during the crucial year-end shopping season evaporated as economic woes trumped gift-buying enthusiasm among consumers.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The 2008 holiday sales season is one of the worst for retailers in decades, as consumers' concerns about the economy and job losses crushed the typical year-end shopping exuberance.

Good. I'm tired of watching the system squeeze every last dime out of people based on the lie that if you don't spend you don't love. I'll bet this year families got closer than ever on the whole as they were forced to "explain" why they couldn't afford to say what they wanted to say with gifts.

I'll bet hugs and kisses and tearful letters and homemade expressions of affection abounded this year. And we're the better for it.

I'm sure the top one percent still made their dollar and traded cars among themselves, but if we finally learn that we don't have to spend to love, maybe they'll join us in our little boat before too long.