The illustrious Christian writer C.S. Lewis could be unequivocally grumpy about certain contemporary Christmas customs, if we judge from his essays on the subject. For example, in his 1970 essay collection, God in the Dock, Lewis has two such articles, of which the better known is entitled "Xmas and Christmas," undoubtedly a masterpiece in the art of social commentary. Written in imitation of the style of ancient historians, and wittily subtitled "A Lost Chapter From Herodotus," Lewis takes note of the "strange" habits of the people of the remote island of "Niatirb" (Britain spelled backwards), which require every citizen utterly...