@Stotter  
Also, one lesson is about how it’s okay to celebrate differently as long as the purpose of it is the same, so instead of a 180, the other follows up on it by focusing on what that purpose is.

@Background Pony #BB50
 
We may not literally have windigoes but I feel like we do in a metaphorical sense along with their effects.

now gust

@Stotter  
Yes! Thank you.

When Staflight assumed everypony was being shallow and materialistic, of course Twilight has to defend their honor.  
I saw the moral of the story as something of a cynicism vs optimism scenario.

I wonder how long it took Starlight to get the This Loser is You feeling.
 
Even if she had no idea what Twi visualized, she probably figured out she was being lectured in a different form than straight talking.

@DragonWraith  
Honestly? No. I’m not that kind of person.

If you had a tradition you enjoyed, wouldn’t you try to convince your friend to at least give it a shot?  
That’s literally all Twilight is doing here.
 
Also, the “looked exactly like you” argument is completely erroneous. It’s a book. With no descriptions of the characters’ physical appearances whatsoever. The characters look like whoever you want them to look like.

@Kamazeustra  
Yeah, but in the real world, we don’t have magical sky horses that cause endless winter if we don’t all get along. That’s a moral that doesn’t translate.
 
What you’re saying makes sense. It’s just unfortunate that the way the episode’s narrative is framed, it just feels like Twilight is using a strawman argument to win Starlight over by completely ignoring her concerns and instead focusing on how right her camp is.
 
And honestly, even if this is what the episode is going for, isn’t this just a repetition of Hearthbreakers? What’s the point? Why not let us actually empathize with Starlight more closely here by illustrating why she feels the way she does? Why not let her counter-argue? Why the insistence that she join in? It’s like if Hearthbreakers ended with the Pies just….going along with Applejack’s demands and then saying that she was right all along. Worse, it sends the message that if someone doesn’t want to be a part of something, it’s totally okay to insist until they give in. That’s not a good thing to teach children.

@Background Pony #B334  
In their world that probably is a legitimate concern.
 
In each episode they got caught up on the form that the celebration took and took issue with it. Starlight objected to the holiday itself as being materialistic and trite until she spent an evening doing Christmas stuff with Twilight and Spike. She learned that the social aspect of the holiday has value even if it is dressed up as a holiday. Applejack objected to the way the Pies did things until she learned why they did them.

@Kamazeustra  
What viewpoint? That not celebrating Christmas will destroy the world?

It was the same lesson in both episodes. Applejack and Starlight dismissed others’ observance of the holiday out of ignorance and came around when they were given a new viewpoint to consider.

@archestereo  
Ha, I also made the Animaniacs connection. It fit Pinkie very well.

@Background Pony #911D
 
Yeah, OP totally missed the point. Hell, whereas most Christmas specials just sorta handwave the most integral part of the holiday with a disingenuous “it’s not really about the presents”, Pinkie Pie embraced it and explained why there’s more to it than just base materialism, and that wasn’t even the best part of the episode (plus she kinda stole the “Ghost of Christmas Present” joke from the Animaniacs).

 
Oh yeah just look at that forceful guilt-tripping /s

Is the show nonsensical or is it serial?

I think it was actually more about convincing her of the importance of spending time with your friends and loved ones rather than pushing a tradition down her throat.