I think it's helpful to understand that it's not only a religious festival but also a cultural one as well. It's a time that in our country we celebrate the values of family, sharing time together, celebrating and relaxing and yes, the hope of peace and goodwill for all. Lots of families celebrate it to pass on the joy they experienced as children on to the children in their own families. In my own family of origin, it's one of very few times in the year when all my father's family gather together (all the generations) and despite the grumbling (by the younger ones LOL) everyone turns up and enjoys themselves. The older members of the family have seen too many friends and family pass away and know that these events matter.

On a personal level, I celebrate Christmas as part of the wheel of the year...I'm not even fully identified as a 'pagan' but to me it's important to stop and reflect on the time passed and the time to come, to gather my people around me and well, celebrate LIFE in all it's fullness. To me it's about the meaningful parts of the exercise - if I'm writing a card I write something heartfelt, I incorporate a short thanksgiving ritual into our celebrations with guests, I practice charity over & above the usual. I do get quite irritated when the Christians act like it's their festival and theirs alone...even back when I was a devout practicing Catholic, I was always mindful that people had celebrated around this time of year (mid-winter for us with anglo-euro-backgrounds) for centuries before christianity hit the scene.

I don't think selecting a particular festival to be the one that's special to your little family is about pushing your beliefs at all. What is important is establishing something that is meaningful to the people within that family unit...so to you it could be the celebration of Bodhi Day, but to Shel it may part of the greater season of Christmas (which is a season, culturally, and not a single day), and for Jazz (& bros or sisters ) it will be a special celebration that she looks forwards to with anticipation and enjoys every year. As she grows older and understands more she will come to understand the ways in which it's meaningful, regardless of the particular festival or date that you choose to honour.