This Black Friday, I stuck to my normal tradition. I woke up at around 1 p.m., ate a giant plate of leftovers and stayed as far away from any shopping center or mall as humanly possible.

Call me cynical, but lining up before midnight at the risk of being trampled to save a few bucks on a TV I don’t need just doesn’t strike me as fun.

The holiday season never ceases to outdo itself with useless consumerism. Don’t get me wrong — I love shopping and getting presents just as much as the next guy. In fact, I’m currently browsing Amazon while salivating over its deal for the Adobe CS5.5 Master Collection. But online window-shopping is all I’m allowing myself this Cyber Monday.

And though my future in the advertising industry will rely on using my talents to promote the consumption of useless crap, until that day comes, I’m saying no to blindly buying whatever advertisements tell me to.

My church back home endorses a movement called Advent Conspiracy. The movement has four main beliefs: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All.

No matter what your religious beliefs are, I think this is a very easy and practical idea to get behind.

My favorite concept of Advent Conspiracy is the call to “give presence, not presents.” Instead of buying your mom that scarf you know she’ll never wear, why not give her the gift of a full day of winter fun? Odds are that a day of baking cookies, drinking hot chocolate, watching Christmas movies and telling stories will make her happier than any random present you can find at Target.

As for my dad, I’ve already begun to compile a list of movies we need to see together. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is at the top of both of our must-see lists this December. There’s nothing like murder, blackmail and rape to bring the family together.

Also, homemade presents are also some of the most treasured, no matter whom you give them to. Mix CDs and scrapbooks are always a great idea for gifts for friends.

I’m not saying spending a lot of money on gifts is inherently evil. I just think the fact Americans spend an average of $450 billion a year for Christmas is just a little ridiculous.

Loving all is definitely the hardest belief for me to follow on any given day. It’s become second nature for me to wave my angry finger at the driver in front of me going too slow. And on any given day you can probably find me tweeting my uncensored thoughts about the teacher who makes me dread going to class. But this holiday season, I need to learn to take a step back and realize that everybody is human and worthy of my forgiveness.

Behind fall, Christmastime truly is my favorite time of year. There’s something about the music, the lights and the sense of family that is truly magical. I hate to see the true meaning of the holiday get lost in the undying need to spend more and more. I’m not here to go all Linus on you or be preachy. All I ask is that you learn to love and show gratitude in a way that truly means something.

So next time you’re at the mall slaving away with a giant list, take a step back and ask yourself what the true meaning of Christmas really is.