The holidays are almost upon us, and soon exams and hair-pulling will be replaced with hearty meals and tree-trimming.

Yet the human stampedes, muggings, and drive-by shootings that have taken place in the United States and Canada in the scramble for the new Playstation 3 leave us asking, Wii?

Normally our society is such a civil one. We exist in multicultural contentedness for most of the year, and shop in relative harmony much of the time. Why then does the desire for the latest must-have toy inspire such wanton acts of stupidity, especially when the craze is usually instigated by manufactured hype from the toy companies (remember how silly owning a Furbie seemed on Dec. 26?).

Save an actual emergency, like a fire, there is no logical explanation for a stampede at a retail store. Yet stampede we do, negligently-or willingly-trampling fellow human beings in the rush to buy a discounted sewing machine or a hot new release.

Sadly, we do hear stories of large masses of people around the world losing their heads and stampeding in lineups for food or at the height of religious ceremonies. Though reports of these incidents are often mind-boggling, at least the chaos is sparked by the desire for spiritual or corporeal sustenance.

But perhaps stampedes at the Best Buy are also about sustenance. In lieu of collective religious or nutritional needs, our society trots en-masse to its preferred altar-the superstore.

It is the holiday season, after all-that holy time of year when, if we’re not careful, our version of three wise men will come calling from the credit card companies.

There’s nothing particularly novel in the notion that money is the new object of worship in Western society, but the idea that people are being shot at and crushed in some sick real-life parody of Jingle All the Way is quite disturbing. Does it really matter if you don’t have the PS3 one day before your neighbour, or your best friend, or some random person you only hatefully know as the guy who got the last ticket at the store? Camping out for days to get the console first can’t compare in importance to waiting for a movie premiere-some jerk can’t spoil the ending for you on the way out of the store.

If you’ve found yourself stressing over finding the perfect sweater or latest comic book for the special people in your life, you might be in need of a change in perspective. Shopping can obviously bring out the worst in some people, especially during the Christmas frenzy. But it’s supposed to be a fun experience, believe it or not, with the positive result of making your friends and family happy.

In this issue, The Varsity presents its annual Gift Guide (see pages 6-7). Our staff has selected lots of neat stuff for you to pick up downtown at affordable prices, plus some charming homemade gifts that will bring a smile to those near and dear. So take a deep breath, let us help you shop, and enjoy your holidays.

Only, please remember: no pushing in the store.