"Let's return for a moment to Christmas giving. I described it earlier as a feast of mutual delight in exchange of gifts within the circle of family or friends. But there is something very one-sided about celebrating Christmas only by ritually enacting a community of joyous giving and receiving. Though such a loving community is an earthly good on par with any other, in a world of massive and unrelenting need, it's positively sinful for such communities to remain turned inward. The gifts should not just circulate within the community to delight its members. They should also flow to outsiders to alleviate their needs...
...It [Christmas] should be a feast of giving to those outside the circle, a small contribution helping to align the world of sin and need with the coming world of love...Gifts should therefore chiefly flow out to the needy; they shouldn't largely circulate among friends." (emphasis mine)
From Miroslav Volf's 'Free of Charge' p 73-75
