I have a cousin who never received a Christmas present from her family. The father felt that Christmas was solely for worship, and that present giving distorted the meaning. When she first told me about this, I was both shocked and sad. But on the other hand, we often see the overabundance of gift giving virtually drowning out the spiritual meaning of the Christmas traditions.
I’d invite you to read “Christmas Joy Without Piety” published today in the Washington Post by E.J. Dionne Jr. He traces some of the history and controversy around the celebration of this day and argues against “hypocritical virtue” while noting that “nearly every Christmas story comes back to liberation and salvation, compassion and the quest for second chances.”