Years ago the cartoon strip “Family Circus” carried a cartoon that illustrates what happens so often to Christmas. It showed a little girl holding her baby brother in her lap and telling him the story of Christmas. Here is how her account read:

“Jesus was born just in time for Christmas, up at the North Pole, surrounded by tiny reindeer and the Virgin Mary. Then Santa Claus showed up with lots of toys and stuff and some swaddling clothes.

“The three wise men and elves all sang carols while the Little Drummer Boy and Scrooge helped Joseph trim the tree. In the meantime, Frosty the Snowman saw this star…”

It’s easy to see how she could be confused. So many secular trappings surround the celebration of Christ’s birth, that we could easily lose track of the real meaning of this wonderful se…