According to that great source for all Christmas holiday knowledge - Bon-Macy Department Stores - this thing is the be-all-and-end-all of the holiday season. "It holds emotion. It holds expectation. It holds what might be the most memorable holiday ever. THIS is the shape of the holiday season."

OKAY. I give up. What's this all-powerful shaper of the season? What's this ultimate shape of the holiday season?

It turns out to be . . . a box.

The Bon-Macy commercial features kids grabbing huge boxes from grandparents. It then pans to gorgeous women being handed those notoriously expensive little square boxes by handsome men.

The box is the consumer-symbol for the month of December. It's a symbol that works across all the religious traditions. Gift-giving is a part of Christmas, Hanukkah, Qwanza…