1) What is the general feeling towards the Holiday by you as an atheist?
Meh. The commercial nature of the holiday irks me; it's a yearly excuse for people to rack up debit buying shit they don't really need. I'd much rather the holiday be more like a Thanksgiving kind of deal where you just get together with friends and/or family and have a nice dinner.
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
I like them; it makes the long, dark winter nights enjoyable.
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
More commercial nonsense. They don't bother me, but I see them as marketing ploy to get people to spend money that could be put to better use.
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
Hate this. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Black Friday nutbags, holiday blowout sales, followed in the next year by reports of what a great boost to the economy last Christmas season was... It's all nonsense. (I refuse to even leave my house on Black Friday) Aren't birthdays enough of an excuse to buy people stuff? Then again, my birthday is a week before Christmas so maybe I'm just used to having to wait a whole year before people give me stuff for no reason.
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
I mean... I like getting the day off... But if I had to choose a holiday to mandate time off for, couldn't we get the 8 days of Hanukkah off?
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
No opinion, really. I don't have kids.
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
GAAAAAA!!! TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF!!!!!! I stop listening to the radio once I hear the first Christmas song, which can occur anywhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Not all Christmas music bugs me and there's usually a time around July that I like listening to some of it, but I can't stand the nonstop All-Christmas-All-The-Time! bombardment.
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
It never comes up, really.
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
Only because my family does. I'd rather consolidate yearly gift-giving to one's birthday which takes the stress off having to buy something for everyone all in the space of one month and out of one paycheck. The gift-giving aspect in my family was majorly scaled back a long time ago; if you get more than 5 gifts on Christmas morning that's a major haul.
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
They're totally crazy, but it's their house, they can do what they want with it. Then again, though, they'd probably call me nuts for some of the things I get really excited about so it's a pot calling the kettle black type situation.
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
Stop the bullshit about the War on Christmas. There is no war on Christmas, Christians, and if there is even such a thing as a "war on Christmas" it's because you started it. You can't be the aggressor and the victim at the same time.
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
16 or 17
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
Um... sort of? I told my mom I didn't believe in god when I was a teenager. She told me I was going to go to hell. I don't know if she remembers that, but I do.
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
It doesn't really come up so I don't have a goal or an intention. If I hear something that is factually wrong I try to inform that person that they're talking out of their ass and maybe they should look into the facts before making ignorant assertions. I do think much more politely than I just described, of course.
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?
^^-- that is more what I would prefer, just a nice time getting together with family. So basically, I want another Thanksgiving. I really like turkey...
Meh. The commercial nature of the holiday irks me; it's a yearly excuse for people to rack up debit buying shit they don't really need. I'd much rather the holiday be more like a Thanksgiving kind of deal where you just get together with friends and/or family and have a nice dinner.
2) What are your feelings towards the display of Christmas lights on houses?
I like them; it makes the long, dark winter nights enjoyable.
3) What are your feelings about Christmas displays in stores?
More commercial nonsense. They don't bother me, but I see them as marketing ploy to get people to spend money that could be put to better use.
4) What are your feelings about the mad dash for gifts?
Hate this. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Black Friday nutbags, holiday blowout sales, followed in the next year by reports of what a great boost to the economy last Christmas season was... It's all nonsense. (I refuse to even leave my house on Black Friday) Aren't birthdays enough of an excuse to buy people stuff? Then again, my birthday is a week before Christmas so maybe I'm just used to having to wait a whole year before people give me stuff for no reason.
5) What are your feelings about it being a federally recognized holiday?
I mean... I like getting the day off... But if I had to choose a holiday to mandate time off for, couldn't we get the 8 days of Hanukkah off?
6) What are your feelings about people telling their children that Santa is real?
No opinion, really. I don't have kids.
7) What are your feelings towards Carolers or Christmas music on the radio?
GAAAAAA!!! TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF!!!!!! I stop listening to the radio once I hear the first Christmas song, which can occur anywhere between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Not all Christmas music bugs me and there's usually a time around July that I like listening to some of it, but I can't stand the nonstop All-Christmas-All-The-Time! bombardment.
8) What are your feelings about how non-atheists perceive atheists?
It never comes up, really.
9) Do you as an atheist celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah?
Only because my family does. I'd rather consolidate yearly gift-giving to one's birthday which takes the stress off having to buy something for everyone all in the space of one month and out of one paycheck. The gift-giving aspect in my family was majorly scaled back a long time ago; if you get more than 5 gifts on Christmas morning that's a major haul.
10) What are your feelings towards the Christmas people who start decorating their house before Halloween?
They're totally crazy, but it's their house, they can do what they want with it. Then again, though, they'd probably call me nuts for some of the things I get really excited about so it's a pot calling the kettle black type situation.
11) If you could ask those that celebrate Christmas to change one thing (or several things) about it - what would it (they) be?
Stop the bullshit about the War on Christmas. There is no war on Christmas, Christians, and if there is even such a thing as a "war on Christmas" it's because you started it. You can't be the aggressor and the victim at the same time.
12) At what point in your life did you realize you were an atheist?
16 or 17
13) Did you ever have a "coming out" moment as an atheist? How was it received?
Um... sort of? I told my mom I didn't believe in god when I was a teenager. She told me I was going to go to hell. I don't know if she remembers that, but I do.
14) As an atheist, what is your goal or intention about informing others that disagree with you about your stance?
It doesn't really come up so I don't have a goal or an intention. If I hear something that is factually wrong I try to inform that person that they're talking out of their ass and maybe they should look into the facts before making ignorant assertions. I do think much more politely than I just described, of course.
15) If you do not celebrate Christmas - do you do anything in particular on Christmas day to celebrate anything at all? Family? A nice dinner with a loved one?
^^-- that is more what I would prefer, just a nice time getting together with family. So basically, I want another Thanksgiving. I really like turkey...
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
