I actually love the family side of things much more than the presents and commercial side also. I do think that the tree is nostalgic and symbolic of our family time though. We don't do much in the way of gifts normally, but I love to cook big meals and have big get togethers around this time of year, and it seems very cozy and in the spirit of the holidays to have the tree up.
Then again, maybe I'm just sad that we'll have absolutely no family around this year, and having the tree up sort of brings back memories of being close to family during this time. My husband's military service has moved us about 2,200 miles from our closest family