Ever notice that this time of year, Internet vendors often send their stuff in gift boxes. They must assume that everyone purchases everything for a December holiday or that their customers are all serial tree killers.

I usually ask these folks to omit the gift packaging in the comment box on the order form (if there is one). It would be nice if they had a button for sending the item in minimal packaging. (Amazon used to have this but it seems to have disappeared.)

I am not the world’s greatest environmentalist (this is one in the “if only I had known department”) and maybe I am just grumpy that everything comes in a green and red or red and white gift package during October, November, December, and January. On the other hand, I could probably live with everything in blue and white boxes, but I doubt that an acceptance of this (even as an option) will ever occur in the USA or anywhere else except within one little country of a few million people that will then tick off a few billion people in the rest of the world.

So this December (or October through January) maybe we can each save some trees, keep the color scheme neutral except on December 25, and pass out hugs all around. It’s pretty easy to have one’s life enhanced by cooperating and co-existing by being aware that a respect for diversity is one of our strongest human virtues (when we remember it, which is what I hope you will tell your local radio stations to do when they want to play odes to biologically unlikely reindeer nonstop for six weeks).

Happy Holidays. Or should I say Merry Xmas? (Does anyone know what an Xmas is? Perhaps something less than an Amas or even a Wmas?)

And please tell Amazon to help save the AMAZON by putting the minimal packaging button back.

Oh, and Ted Geisel knew all of this more than 50 years ago. The Cat in the Hat said that back when we all were in Kindergarten. Really.