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With banks wilting, credit elusive, and retirement accounts slashed, this holiday season is going to jingle a little less than in years past. One survey by coupon site RetailMeNot.com found that almost half of shoppers plan to spend less on the holidays than they did last year, and TNS Retail Forward predicts that the season's spending will be the weakest since the 1991 recession.

While the newfound frugality will dismay retailers struggling to boost sales, it's actually, in many ways, good news. Strong consumer spending has helped drive the economy, but it has also drained family piggy banks. The average American is now responsible for over $17,000 in outstanding loans, excluding mortgages. At the same time, the holiday season's emphasis on shopping conflicts with the simpler lives that many consumers say they want.

Your green friends are carefully planning their Halloween costumes (made out of recycled materials, of course), and they'll be showing up to the costume party as Mother Nature, T. Boone Pickens, and Al Gore, while all you can do is roll your eyes. As they plan a green Halloween, you'll want to spoil their eco-minded celebration in the most passive-aggressive way possible. Try these costume suggestions:

• Safari Hunter—Tell environmentalists, "I have a blatant disregard for the well-being of wildlife," with a sexy safari costume, complete with a shotgun and victims. To enhance this costume, take some red paint and apply it to a few stuffed animals to sling over your shoulder or string around your belt. When you talk to people at the costume party, be sure to share your views about how the Bush administration is being a little too generous with the amount of creatures added to the endangered species list.

We are in the midst of our local United Way campaign here. There's no easier and better place to give a bit back to the local community.

We are a company of mostly 20-somethings—a group some seem to think would define "charity" as buying friends a round of drinks. Wrong. This is a generation that not only believes but acts. Did I say they like to have fun? And did you know that according to the recent DonorTrends Survey, gen X-ers and Y's give MORE than baby boomers? Truth.

Allhallows' Eve is upon us. How should John McCain and Barack Obama dress for Halloween? Post your thoughts below.

Previously: What should Barack Obama say in his 30-minute infomercial?

This morning's Commerce Department announcement that September retail sales were down 1.2 percent disappointed economists, who had expected a milder decline. It was bad news for retailers, too, who count on the upcoming holiday sales to boost their revenues.

The news got me thinking: For those of you already mulling over your present lists, are you scaling back? I'm wondering if the new "it" toy this year won't be a toy at all but something more frugal, and perhaps more thoughtful. A father might give his young son a day of eating whatever he wants instead of the latest Elmo incarnation. Or a daughter might remember the name of that author her dad loves and get his latest book instead of a new cashmere sweater.