What is Christmas

I have been getting ready for a book group that I am hosting about the Man Who Invented Christmas, referring to Charles Dickens and his "Christmas Carol". This idea about Christmas being invented is a bit of a paradigm shift. Christmas is something we have always done. It has something my family has always done. It's tradition! While it has been something in the making for 1600 years, it has been evolving and changing. It's hard to imagine it being as a time that was used for very different purposes than to celebrate Christ or doing good. I have already been trying to shed some of the culture-especially when it comes to Santa Claus but after watching/reading a few articles about the origins of Christmas and why we shouldn't celebrate Christmas makes me feel cautious about my celebrations. With all of the symbols and gift giving having its roots in paganism makes me question why we do what we do. I do believe we can attach the symbols to what ever fits our celebration-since it is us who decides what they mean. Religion is very heavy on the use of symbols so the fact that they may be the same symbols used by pagans doesn't mean they can't have different meanings or references.
So really, as I ponder the different decorations and activities we do, as long as it points to Christ, then celebrating Christmas is a very honorable thing to do.
One thing I can't quite tell how to relate entirely to Christ and the most distracting to the focus of Christ is gift giving. I know, there is the idea of being charitable, showing love and appreciation, spreading joy through gifts but there is so much of it that isn't just that. So much pressure, time, hunting for deals, selfishness even in the buying of the gifts with the deals they offer if you buy a certain thing. It's so hard to be genuine in the gift giving. When it comes to gift giving outside of my immediate family it also becomes harder and often feels more of an obligation. Is it just me?

I like this quote:
 "I have always thought of Christmas time as...the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." The holiday "has done me good and will do me good; and I say, God bless it."

My hope for this Christmas season and future seasons is that I can peal away the pieces of Christmas that don't bring light, joy and increase my love and devotion for the Savior.