Do You Celebrate Christmas?

[Michael Schubert]

Yesterday, I read about a young atheist woman whose mother did not give her a Christmas present when she found out her daughter was not a Christian. This bewilders me a little, as I know Christians celebrate Christmas because it is supposedly Jesus Christ's birthday. However, it also celebrates the Winter Solstice and you do not have to specifically be a Christian to celebrate it. Christmas is a federal holiday, and it would be unconstitutional if The Federal Government designated a national holiday respecting an establishment of religion.

So that makes me wonder: Since we're not religious, should Atheists celebrate Christmas? Since we don't believe in God(s), maybe we shouldn't? But then again, we can celebrate Christmas without honoring any deity. We could only celebrate the longest night and the shortest day of the year.

[Rahul]

Most of the traditions of Christmas aren't Christian in origin. The tree, the time it's celebrated, presents, etc. So screw it.

I like the holiday.

[Silver]

I have not celebrated the holiday for around thirteen years.

[Clueless Morgan]

As my birthday is a week before Christmas it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all to stop celebrating it in the gift-giving sense since I'm already getting presents that time of year anyway, and already have to wait a whole year to get any presents at all. Otherwise, the only thing I think Christmas is good for is getting the day off.

I would personally prefer to buy people gifts only for their birthdays which would greatly reduce my "Crap, I have to think of something to buy this person again!" anxiety and would spread the gift-giving costs across multiple paychecks rather than concentrating it all into one or requiring that you charge everything on a credit card in order to afford it.

[c172]

My parents live just up the road, so I really have no choice, even if I dreaded it. That said, I can OD on family time, especially in the holiday season.

I like the mystery of gifts, but each Xmas, I come out of it like a packrat. I donate things, but still, my mother loves t give me gifts throughout the year, thus creating clutter.

So,as I get older, I find less of a need for Christmas, but at the same time, I'd feel weird saying "screw it", and not doing Xmas (or, FTM, Thanksgiving, which is problematic for my stomach issues).

[Cyberman]

I've already spoken about my take on this in another thread, but to reiterate: I don't so much celebrate it as observe it; or at least I would in the ideal world it used to be. To me, there is no more a religious aspect to the season and the day than there is to any other day. Food, booze, family, friends, booze, xmas telly, booze, lots of new toys to break, and booze.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I fecking LOVE Christmas. Food, drink, pressies, music (side note: as a kid, I honestly thought the line was 'Good King Wence's car backed out / on a piece of Stephen...'), people being a little nicer than normal, and so on.

I truly don't see any conflict between my atheism and celebrating Christmas. It's a symbol, and a symbol has whatever meaning you put into it. Bugger me with a fish-fork if I'll give up a cracking good time at Christmas simply because the day has been co-opted by a load of fatuous nitwits who can't seem to break wind without invoking the name of Jesus.

For the record, I'm also anti-monarchist, but that doesn't stop me spending money with the Queen's face on it.

Boru

[zebo-the-fat]

I have to something special at christmas... it's my wife's birthday!
Of course, being a grumpy old git she only gets one card! (I can't be too mean, she makes the best roast potatoes in the world!)

[Cyberman]

It doesn't help for me that my little Sam's birthday is on the 21st of December. It was a bit of a problem financially back in the day, but a fun one. Now it's just a reminder.

[CleanShavenJesus]

Absolutely! I love Christmas! Besides, my girlfriend is Christian (though not religious at all).