It struck me this year over Christmas just how much of the family celebration, as it currently lives in North American culture, is about memories. There is a sense of loss at Christmas—lost innocence, perhaps, or memories of better times, or when the children were young.

A lot of the decor evokes images of other Christmases—those long ago which we may have never experienced, but which convey meanings of comfort and love to us.

When I was a college student, I thought it clever to wax sarcastic about the commercialization of Christmas. Now I’m older and a little deeper. I want to know: how has Christmas (the family celebration, not the Christian holiday) evolved in meaning over the years of your memory? Photo credit sxc.hu user 80itenta.