I posted this comment in the "It's not Christmas Yet" thread, and CLKD requested I start a new thread .... so here it is!
I am Pagan (Wiccan, to be precise), so I celebrate Yule, rather than Christmas. And to me and most (if not all) Pagans, it truly is a celebration - it's a party to celebrate the fact we've made it through the darkest part of the year, and to welcome back the light (I suppose that translates very well to the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ - the return of the 'light').
So we feast unashamadly, yes, but the most important thing for me is to spend the time with my nearest and dearest (not always family - I said dearest!) and celebrate the victory of the Oak King over the Holly King and the turning of the year (not New Year - that was Samhain!).
It's also a celebration of the birth of the God (whatever we choose to call him - Pagans have a very personal relationship with the God and Goddess - we choose the 'manifestation' that suits us best - my personal favourite is Cernunnos, the Horned God), again mirrored by Christian beliefs.