I Took Religion Out of Christmas. I Regret It.
Conor Kiely, 7, and sister Katherine Kiely, 5, pray at the nativity after parishioners celebrated Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Lithuanian Church in South Boston, December 24, 2009. (Stuart Cahill via Getty Images)
I decided my family could do without Christianity. I didn’t realize how much structure and beauty it could give us.
Of all the treasures that came out of the cardboard box of Christmas decorations every December of my childhood, the nativity set was the best. Joseph, Mary, the kings, the shepherds: Our tiny figures were made of clay with a white glaze that looked like icing. I treated them like delicate, special dolls, rearranging them and moving them around the livi…
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