My favorite tradition is gettin the car, driving to the mall with the three billion other people trying to go there, driving through the parking lot for thirty minutes trying to find a parking space and finally stealing one near an entrance from some blue haired old woman, elbowing your way into the store where everyone is looking for the same out of stock item, arguing with other shoppers over who saw what first and thus has the rights to buy said items, being a total jackass to everyone around you because "tis the season", then getting back in the car and almost causing four accidents on the way home because you're talking on the cell phone.
I also like the whole "let's buy people stuff to show them how much we care" thing. I love how people work their assess off at a shitty job, sometimes working overtime, just to afford that item that will show how much they care, instead of actually, you know, spending time with the people they supposedly care about.