Christmas to me is the Christmas Spirit, the coming together of friends and family to celebrate life. Like several have said above, it was originally a celebration of the time of year when the days began to get longer again, and the promise of life through the beginning of a new year was renewed. This celebration long predates it's appropriation by the Christos believers and the blatent commercialization of it by the capitalist merchandisers. And Mel is right about the gift thing. I remember as a child knowing that I was going to recieve a sweater from Grandma every Christmas which didn't excite me so much at the time. But it is those hand knitted sweaters, done with love, that I remember now. And what do I remember most vividly from the last Christmas? It is that my sister made me some raisin filled cookies like the ones Mom made for Christmas when we were kids. I don't even remember me mentioning them to her some time, but, she did! That is what Christmas is about.
From some of the posts above I am sorry that you can not find the joy in Christmas. Perhaps you could/should read O'Henrys story,
The Gift of the Magi
http://henry.thefreelibrary.com/The-Four-Million/2-1
I realize it is harder to celebrate the change of the seasons for those who live in cities as it is where i live in the boondocks. We have some damn tough winters here in Wyoming and the holiday season is a way of girding ourselves for the trevails of the oncoming winter. While I am a non-believer in the nativity thing, I never make a fuss over it here. It brings so much pleasure and comfort to so many: why would anyone want to burst their bubble at this time of year. If you object to the commercialization, then just ignore it. If you have children, then be sure to teach them the real Spirit of Christmas. But by all means, do give presents to children. Be Santa Claus. And be like Santa Claus who knows what every little boy and girl wants. Observing kids opening gifts is one of the best ways to recapture your childhood. A gift that you have made or selected especially for that person is so much more meaningful than just the latest fad thing or more especially, a thing you might have wanted as a child yet does not fit the recipient.
YES! I say to the Christmas Spirit. In the overall balence, it is a positive thing. For those who bemoan the season, I say look for the silver linings and you may even discover the gold.