For some reason I'm looking forward to Christmas more than usual. Yes, I'm Buddhist and I still celebrate Christmas, the most materialistic of holidays. But it's not about the material, but about the legacy of love that has always been associated with it in my family. Christmas was always a time of peace and fun in my household when I was growing up. Christmas dinner was not marred by anger or resentful silences, grandparents came for rare overnight visits with a station wagon full of gifts from the downstate relatives, and once we even got a puppy (who later turned out to be one of the most annoying dogs ever (Rusty), but it was magical at the time), snow, the Santa myth prolonged as long as possible with sled tracks in the yard and bites from cookies, then reinterpreted into a lesson in love and generosity. I consider myself very fortunate. So yes, I still practice it, and not in the least to honor my root teacher, Jesus, who taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive.