'Tis the Season to Be ... Greedy?

Seeing red from all that green you think is needed to feed Christmas greed? Maybe you could learn something from the Johnson kids.

While their neighbors spent the morning of "Black Friday" battling the chaos and each other for those early-bird specials at the local mall, just like millions of other Americans, these two elementary school students kicked off the first day of the Christmas shopping season as they have done for the past two years -- scouring the racks of a Goodwill thrift store in a tony suburban Philadelphia strip mall with their mother.

Sixth-grader Megan scored a seemingly new designer sweater and a freshly washed Eagles football team T-shirt for her father. Jason, two years younger, grabbed three barely worn shirts and a new Pez dispenser for his sister when she wasn't looking.

They left with a bulging bag, three dollars in change from their $20 bill, and smiles more blinding than the North Pole landscape. And with good reason, says their mom, Sharon, who by no means needs to shop at a second-hand store.

"From a practical standpoint, it's nice that they can buy really nice gifts for the family without using all their allowance money. And let's face it, some of what we just bought is as nice as what's at the mall -- without the price or the hassles," she tells WebMD. "But beyond money, what's the real point of that turkey dinner we just had? It's about being thankful for what we have ... and recognizing how fortunate we are to have it. At least, it should be."

Megan chimes in to complete this Hallmark moment. "My dad loves the Eagles, so I know he'll love this shirt, and it was $15 cheaper than one I saw at [a sporting goods store], and I still have $24 left for my other presents. But what's really nice is that the money we spent on this stuff will help people who have less than we do."

Sound familiar? Well, it could -- and it should, say experts.

"Just look around, and you'll see that the attitude of wanting more and more is not only common, but unfortunately, has become part of the culturally accepted norm," says psychiatrist Ravi Amin, MD, of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. "But it doesn't have to be that way. The trick is for parents to use the holiday season as a way not to satisfy their children's greed, but to instill values and integrity to last a lifetime."

How? The easy answer, of course, is the one that proves especially hard for many parents -- just saying "no" when presented with a Christmas want list that reads like War and Peace or gifts with price tags that could make Donald Trump sweat.