distressing conviction of unreality, of non-significance, of exaggerated
and even false sentiment. What I mean is that we have to brace and force
ourselves up to the enjoyment of Christmas. We have to induce
deliberately the "Christmas feeling." We have to remind ourselves that
"it will never do" to let the heartiness of Christmas be impaired. The
peculiarity of our attitude towards Christmas, which at worst is a
vacation, may be clearly seen by contrasting it with our attitude
towards another vacation--the summer holiday. We do not have to brace
and force ourselves up to the enjoyment of the summer holiday. We
experience no difficulty in inducing the holiday feeling. There is no
fear of the institution of the summer holiday losing its heartiness. Nor
do we need the example of children to aid us in savouring the August
"festivities."

* * * * *

If any person here breaks in with the statement that I am deceived and
the truth is not in me, and that Christmas stands just where it did in
the esteem of all right-minded people, and that he who casts a doubt on
the heartiness of Christmas is not right-minded, let that person read no
more. This book is not written for him. And if any other person,
kindlier, condescendingly protests that there is nothing wrong with
Christmas except my advancing age, let that person read no more. This
book is not written for him, either. It is written for persons who can
look facts cheerfully in the face. That Christmas has lost some of its
magic is a fact that the common sense of the western hemisphere will not
dispute. To blink the fact is infantile. To confront it, to try to
understand it, to reckon with it, and to obviate any evil that may
attach to it--this course alone is meet for an honest man.