Do You Celebrate Christmas?

Tony said:
As an atheist/agnostic, do you have any qualms with celebrating Christmas?
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I'm not completely satisfied with the labels agnostic or atheist, as I fear they might fail to communicate my lack of belief in all imaginary bearded sky daddies, past, present, and those not yet imagined.

Someone here exposed me to the term polyatheist, which is very nice, but I still worry one or more imaginary deities could still escape.

I'd like to say I'm an Omniatheist, but maybe UltraMegaAtheist does a better job.

And to answer the question, we celebrate Seasonal Holiday Gift Man Day on the winter solstice at our house. I do believe in winter, I was just there earlier this week, a day before it officially started.


No Christmas here, no virgin births, a noticeable lack of any type of virgins, really.
 
We have been shifting towards some sort of solstice celebration, but mostly as a reaction against the Xtian hegemony in the USA: probably a bad motivation.

I also admit some degree of selfishness: I enjoy giving my son some neat stuff around this time of year. I feel better from watching him enjoy getting gifts than I ever remember feeling when I was the one getting stuff, but I want him to know where it came from. I also view it as a chance to have an age-appropriate talk about how we should reflect from time to time on how we are all victims of a series of accidents[1], and that our family's accidents have turned out pretty well: we have resources to piss away on junk we don't need.

I also see no reason to try to get him to believe in mythical creatures like Santa Claus. It promotes muddy thinking, and is not needed. Some in my family are aghast at that, but I figure that is just from our having different visions of what is important about childhood.


We have, for the past two years, exchanged some gifts on the 21st, and my son thinks that's great. I enjoy seeing an odd glance or two when he mentions the gift he got for solstice. I must like the attention.

We do gather with family on Christmas; lately with my in-laws. That's more about them getting some grandson time, which is just fine with me. Our talk about 'Solstice' (or 'Giftmas', when my wife is feeling cynical), gets a mixed reaction from family, but -- with one or two exceptions -- religion has never been that big a deal in our families anyway

Cheers,

Hank
 
I LOVE Xmas!! I don't consider it a religious holiday. I consider it a family and friends holiday. I celebrate the Santa/xmas tree/holiday lights version. You won't find any nativity scenes, lol.
It's a wonderful way to bring some color and cheer during the cold winter. :)
 
Godmode said:
... It's a wonderful way to bring some color and cheer during the cold winter. :)
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It's always a little strange celebrating it down here in oz.
Usually it is scorching hot with a blazing sun.
Just luuuuuv cooking up a chrissy roast with all the trimmings!
Even though you do tend to melt - but the cold beer really helps!
Then head down to the beach at sunset.
 
Q-Source said:
I hate christmas celebrations. It is just hipocricy in the highest level, it makes me vomit.


I know it sounds boring, but let's face it, to an atheist these celebrations are meaningless and are based on lies and self delusion.
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Funny I thought being an athiest was based on lies and self delusion!
 
Well duh. With a tree, nativity scene, and gifts and food and all. Religious aspects, whether pagan or christian, secular aspects, commercialism can all mix for all I care, as long as it's fun.

/except no crummy recent Christmas songs. I only enjoy good interpretation of Christmas hymns and carols, and the occasional Christmas song (if performed by, say, the Vince Guaraldi trio).
 
I do not celebrate the birth of christ.

But, I find the "Airing of Greivances" portion of Festivus to be very amusing.
 
fowlsound said:
Added to my list of hateful and nasty things Kathy has said to us on this forum.


One more piece of evidence showing she is a bigoted jerk.
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Well, you know, basing your life on the things you can see, touch, taste and hear is self-delusion, my friend. Only when you turn you life over to THe Big Daddy in the Sky, are you being truthful.
 
I celebrate Christmas by ignoring bigoted, hateful imbeciles like Kurious Kathy, and thanking God for the friends I have, regardless of what they choose to believe.
 
:xfight Yeah I do celebrate it in a very secular way. It's a family thing. Our relatives get together and exchange gifts and share a meal. Then we go to the beach and throw sandballs at each other :)
 
Roadtoad said:
I celebrate Christmas by ignoring bigoted, hateful imbeciles like Kurious Kathy, and thanking God for the friends I have, regardless of what they choose to believe.
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Good way to be. I for one hope you will celebrate by writing more of your interesting posts!

A merry/happy Xmas/solstice/Bhlorrrgh/<insert other winter holiday> to all!

Hank, currently in rural Arkansas on dialup (how spoiled I have become with DSL)
 
My family never celebrated Christmas, so I don't feel any compulsion to myself. Now, being a foreign student in North America, I just spent my Christmas snugly in bed.. ; ) If I had the social acquaintances and obligations to celebrate Christmas, I would have no problem in doing so.
 
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