Americans have been bemoaning the commercialization of Christmas almost as long as they’ve been participating in the pandemonium of “shopping season.” The good news is, you can have your Advent and your hunt for the perfect presents, too. Just look through our Christmas Gift Guide in Section C and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

We provide this resource each year because we know that most Register readers don’t want to skip the gift-giving custom altogether. After all, the Magi expressed their homage to the King of Kings by offering precious gifts. Register readers, too, want to make sure they’re not just settling for obligatory trifles and trinkets.

Another reason for this special pullout section: Part of our service to our readers is selecting advertisers whose products and services are in accord with the Register’s mission as a communications apostolate at the service of the New Evangelization. And part of our service to our advertisers is offering them special opportunities to showcase their products to appreciative Register readers. The Christmas Gift Guide is one such opportunity.

When you make a purchase from a Register advertiser, you not only get great Catholic goods and support a worthy Catholic vendor; you also encourage the advertiser to continue buying space in our pages, which helps the Register achieve financial sustainability. We all get a gift!

Happy shopping, and be sure of my prayers for a grace-filled period of spiritual preparation in the weeks leading up to, and through, Advent 2009.