Nothing like the smell of mace to inspire those warm fuzzy holiday feelings.

I’ve never heard of “competitive shopping” before. But that’s what the LA Times is saying led to a woman at a Wal Mart to start spraying other women and children on her way to a discounted X-Box.

I just love the last line and it seems like something we would all be wise to listen to:

Twenty people, including children, were injured when a woman at a San Fernando Valley Walmart store used mace against other customers in what authorities referred to as a “competitive shopping” incident.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a scuffle broke out shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday night, just before shopping was to begin, among customers waiting to buy Xbox gaming consoles and Wii video games.

Alejandra Seminario, told the Times she was waiting in line to buy toys about 9:55 p.m. when there was a commotion in the next aisle when shoppers began tearing off plastic encasing gaming consoles.

“People started screaming, pulling and pushing each other, and then the whole area filled up with pepper spray,” she said.

Seminario breathed some in and started coughing. “I did not want to get involved. I was too scared. I just stayed in the toy aisle,” she said.

I just stayed in the toy aisle. Seems like good advice. Stay in the toy aisle. Chillax a bit.

When you read stories like this it’s easy to sour completely on humanity but just remember there are people in the toy aisle who are just as shocked and scared as you. In fact, consider CMR the toy aisle of the blogosphere. We’ll all huddle together horrified and shocked and then we’ll laugh a bit because after all we are in the toy aisle.

And then after security comes and cleans out all those crazies with the Mace we’ll go get the X-boxes those idiots were fighting over.