Recently, while putting up Christmas decorations, someone I know told me he was disappointed in my lack of Christmas spirit. Admittedly, I was unenthused about the dusty ornaments he was fawning over as he took them once again from their cardboard box, but "lack of spirit"? I may be a skeptic, but I'm no wet blanket.

Christmas is one of the holidays that raises the most questions. What does it mean? Who is it for? What are we supposed to be doing? Ultimately, everyone should decide for themselves what it means, but that can be difficult when the spirit of Christmas is being stuffed down one's throat. First and foremost, Christmas is about materialism. It's about selling and buying, about the exchange of cash and the acquisition of stuff.

Denial of that fact is exactly how the advertisers sell us their stuff. The best known Christmas music is the ching-ching of cash registers, the beep of PIN pads, and the tearing of wrapping paper. Most of us manage to navigate through that and make Christmas a family affair. But why is the end of December a time for family? Why not the end of January?

That Christmas has roots in Christianity is obvious. But are Christians the only people who engage in Christmas activities? There's a reason that, in one episode of Southpark, Santa Claus fought Jesus.

The myriad Christmas sale flyers are not Christian in nature. Any connection "Saint" Nick had to the church faded with his metamorphosis into Mr. Claus. Why then, do so many non-Christians do non-Christian things in the name of a Christian celebration?

I see people getting happy because they're supposed to be happy. Putting up tinsel and trees and shiny balls because, hey, get some spirit, it's Christmas!

It's good that our culture has made a provision for people to be with their families. It's happily ironic that all the retail outlines which define Christmas outside the church close on Christmas day. I enjoy visiting with my family on a day completely free of worry. I don't go to my mom's house to celebrate the birth of Christ. I don't hang out with family for the purpose of receiving the stuff they bought me. I do it because I enjoy being with them.

I'm rarely home. I don't put up a tree. I don't hang little reindeer on the wall or play Boney M on the stereo.

That's all meaningless to me. What matters is getting together with loved ones and relaxing with them. I don't need to spend my money on a fake plastic tree or a disembodied and dying transplanted real one.

The warmth of the season is in my heart, not in the stuff I buy. And it certainly isn't in the frozen winter air.

Where do Christmas traditions come from? It makes sense if one is Christian or avidly consumerist. But if not, then one is simply doing things because one is told to do them. Perhaps Christmas in the North is about combating the frigid dark vacuum of winter.

Why else do we suddenly toss up colourful lights, drink rum and eggnog, sing together, and give each other gifts? When the sun sets shortly after lunch, we've got to do something to stay sane. We up the love and beauty factor with gifts, decorations, and family gatherings.

That makes sense. Still, it's weird to hear secular pop stars suddenly singing about angels and mangers.