Why the overabundance of the gift-giving season causes me discomfort

When bedroom doors fly open on Christmas morning, my kids drink in a vision of a picture-perfect Christmas — an explosion of bright colors and shiny coils of ribbons in meticulously wrapped presents. Family members amble through the front door with more gifts, so the kids form a gift-opening assembly line that starts from youngest to oldest. For hours, there is a fervent tearing of paper, a hoisting of new objects in the air, shouts of glee and the creation of piles and piles of stuff.

It’s the Christmas of my...