A book is sometimes the most difficult gift to offer, but often it is the most rich.

December brings concerns about the commercialism of Christmas, along with invocations to return to the day’s “true meaning.”

If we fail to consider the difficulties faced by the Holy Family, we can be lulled into thinking that the first Christmas was a familiar, even cozy, affair.

We might think the battle for Christmas is over words. But the struggle is waged at a far deeper level of our lives.

When I think about the Holy Family I remember other holy families as well, the ones who brought me up in the faith, who showed me how to love and who taught me how to celebrate Christmas.