Last week, the annual corporate consumption campaign culminated in an orgy of exhausted shoppers, spent holiday bonuses, and wall-to-wall buying frenzies. Lured by religious and sentimental propaganda, millions spent money they didn't have on junk they didn't want or need. Local counter-corporate protests temporarily shook up the walking dead in crowded shopping districts, drawing attention to harsh realities that cannot be disguised by holiday cheer. Protests from animal liberation, environmental, anti-sweatshop and anti-capitalism groups targeted Neiman-Marcus, Gap/Old Navy & DKNY. More than 40 people were arrested during direct actions against Neiman-Marcus, a notorious fur retailer. Read more & video Audio Similar festivities occurred in Glendale and Berkeley, where more than two hundred revelers attended Reclaim The Street's holiday party on the Fourth St. shopping strip, taking police completely by surprise. As dot-com financial magazine Red Herring rented out City Hall to gorge themselves on food and stock options, a candlelit vigil was held in memory of homeless people who died on the streets this year.