Amid the holiday glamour and glitter, some find moments for pondering life and taking stock of themselves and their lives. That sometimes leads to dark nights of the soul, where attempts are made to reconcile personal goals, beliefs and feelings with experience and reality. But moods are mostly light hearted leading up to the New Year and its custom of self-improvement resolutions like losing weight, becoming better organized, and enjoying life...

This is my most wonderfully troubling time of year. I’m in heaven listening to traditional yuletide music while absentmindedly gazing at lights on our tree. But it’s vexing to be bombarded with Silent Night, Holy Night, from tinny speakers while shopping for tooth paste and dishwasher soap. Prior to the 18th Century, compared to Easter, Christmas was a relatively minor Christian holiday. Some thought it not proper to commemorate Jesus Christ’s...