Yes, I am becoming a practicing Buddhist, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate that yuletide holiday of consumer proportions… But I have decided that the holiday, to me, means the following:
1) Being able to listen to my sons come out of their bedroom and exclaim “Wow” when they see the tree decorated, or see their new trains under the tree
2) Hearing everyone claim that the gifts that we gave them were awesome
3) Shaping my gift-giving to reduce consumer-mindedness (yes, it's not a word, but maybe we can coin a new phrase)
It's always fun to give and receive gifts, of course more to give than to receive. This year, my wife and I were considering giving gifts by giving in our friends' and families' names to Heifer, but we decided at the last minute to change our tack and give “regular” gifts. This year, we gave just about all of our family and friends dinner out at The Outback Steakhouse… it was an expensive Christmas, but hopefully our friends and families will remember the time they had at dinner with their own families. 
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