But today it's time to put all that aside and concentrate instead on sites that take a more serious and sacred look at Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

•  www.entourages.com/barbs/Christmas.htm. This lovely site from the Sanders family truly captures the typical celebration of the season. The site is graphically pleasing and the copy is clearly from the heart. It includes the joy a parent feels when a child opens the gift he or she most hoped for as well as the warmth shared as loved ones gather for a special meal. But then the story goes on to say, "During this whole busy season how many times do we stop to reflect on the one to whom this season is supposed to give reverence?" There are links to several equally wonderful pages that are well worth visiting.

• www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/christmaspage.html. These pages contain hundreds of sermons, lectures, stories, articles and links. Many are accompanied by seasonal songs. Although a couple refused to come up even after several attempts, most were quick to load.

• www.catholic.net/RCC/Christmas97/1997/adventlinks.html. While this list was created in 1997 and some of the pages were reluctant to open, many of the stories, sermons and Advent links are still live. (I found I had better luck the second time through by using the refresh key.)

• http://raindrop.org/holidays/christ/c1.shtml. You'll find dozens of poems, songs and stories based on the true meaning of Christmas, including the story from St. Luke. Pages are well designed with music to accompany each one. (I'd advise having a tissue handy; some of these will touch your heart and absolutely bring a tear to your eye.)

• www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/christmas/mychristmas.html. This is an interesting site with a dreadfully long address. It tackles the questions that surround Christmas and its pagan roots. At the end of the essay you'll find several charming stories as well as a few familiar ones.

• http://godschildrenscorner.com/christmas.htm. Written in language that even the youngest among you will understand, this lovely little site asks and answers questions about Christ's beginnings in a manger, the celebration of his birth and why we exchange gifts.

• http://cptryon.org/prayer/adx/index.html. As the headline on this page says, it offers prayers and customs of Advent and Christmas. The information is interesting and the prayers are right on point.

• www.homeschooled-kids.com/christmas.html. Although there are some just-for-fun areas here as well, the site begins with a section on keeping Christ in Christmas. That and the charming artwork make this one fine for the day.

• www.keepingchristinchristmas.ecsd.net. Here's another good one for children from the Alberta school system in Canada.

• www.villagelife.org/news/archives/traditions.html. This article from "Village Life" ran in 1996, but it is still appropriate today. It answers the question, "Do we still need to celebrate Christmas today?"

Jan Perry is a Kentucky-based freelance writer for The Post. She offers best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday.