Christmas is about more than nostalgia, it is about the real God being concerned about the real world, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev John Neill, has said.
Reflecting on the horrors of the Christmas holiday period last year when the tsunami in south-east Asia filled television screens around the world, he said "it was deeply disturbing for those enjoying Christmas peace to see that tragedy unfold and engulf countless people".
He continued: "Christmas is not about any opting out of the real world, but it is about God through Jesus Christ opting in, and in a costly way.
"For those in the depths of any disaster, natural, accidental or personal, God often seems very far away.
"Christmas shows us that this is not as God wants it to be. Jesus comes among us as Emmanuel - 'God with us'."
The Christmas story itself was so familiar that people could "easily ignore those harsh features like a census imposed by an occupying power forcing even a pregnant mother to travel a long distance, or the cruel slaughter of babies by a despot clinging to his fading power, or the necessity for the Holy Family to flee to another land".
"In so many places, things have changed but little in over two thousand years," he said.
"It is the same world in which Jesus comes to us now as 'God with us'," he said.
Christmas gifts were a sign of the generosity and desire of Jesus Christ to be with us, he said.
To share in Christmas involved sharing something of that generosity with those in special need in our own country and overseas.
In a joint Christmas message, the Catholic and Church of Ireland Bishops of Clogher, Dr Joseph Duffy and the Right Rev Michael Jackson, noted that "at Christmas we also celebrate the origin of our Christian faith".
"In an era where there are hopes of more sustained peace, we need to explore together opportunities for a shared future.
"The inclusion of diverse ethnic groups in our society demands that we acknowledge and respect a wide variety of different faiths.
"This new scene tests the confidence and generosity of the various strands of our Christian tradition.
"It means that we are now asked to live and move beyond the boundaries of where our own tradition has taken us."
