Family represents the reality of which Christmas is the dream. It is, of course, Family (messy, complex, miserable, happy, so many gradations of those last two words) that is the real gift, beneath the wrapping. Family is the daily miracle, and Christmas is the enforcement of ideals that, in truth, do not matter. It would be tempting therefore to say, ‘Well, then ditch Christmas!’ the same way people say ‘Ditch God’ or ‘Ditch marriage’, but people find it hard to do these things because they feel that there is more than a ghost in these machines; there is an animating spirit.
