# Celebrating Christmas/ other religious holidays?



## regimes (Aug 24, 2011)

Hey guys,

I've recently wondered if I would continue celebrating Christmas once I move into my own house/apartment. I love the holiday and the season, but at the same time I'm not always so enthusiastic because it is a religious holiday, despite pagan origins. In other words, I probably wouldn't mind not celebrating it. I don't know. 

Do you guys still celebrate Christmas/other religious holidays you grew up with?


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## Propaganda (Oct 26, 2010)

My mom is an atheist and she decorates and has an elaborate christmas tree. IDK why, I think she just enjoys the festivity and such.

I personally dont truly celebrate christmas. I don't like receiving gifts. Most the time it's crap that I never use and have to keep it around to preserve other's feelings. Also, I really really REALLY *REALLY* dislike xmas music. It get panic attacks when I am exposed to it for more than a few minutes!

I give xmas presents sparingly, something that has meaning and function.

I do celebrate the Festival of Lights, sort of, by adding colorful lights around the house... I would keep the lights all year, but then I would be seen as insane. (that and the HOA gets pissed)


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## Charizard (Feb 16, 2011)

I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating a cultural holiday. Are there religious aspects to things like christmas and easter? Yes. Are they all there is? No, the holidays are largely secular, especially in mainstream culture.


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

My whole family celebrates it despite not being religious. Yeah, it's pretty stupid, but it's an excuse to give and get presents. I think we should do this all year long but that's for an entirely different topic.


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## Jamovik (Oct 13, 2011)

Christmas isn't Christian. It is an old holiday stolen from the pagans. For example, in Germanic Europe we have been celebrating Yule way before we celebrated Christmas. 

"Yule or Yuletide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

I do like Christmas and my family always celebrated it even though we are all atheists. My dad always said what the previous poster said, that Christmas is not really a Christian holiday. I just wish I had family around now to celebrate with. Both my sister and dad live far away, so lately I just make a whole bunch of vegetarian Japanese curry and stuff myself for the week with it.

I'm not so into the whole presents thing but the tree, decorations, and lights are pretty cool.


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## ugh1979 (Aug 27, 2010)

Jamovik said:


> Christmas isn't Christian. It is an old holiday stolen from the pagans. For example, in Germanic Europe we have been celebrating Yule way before we celebrated Christmas.
> 
> "Yule or Yuletide ("Yule-time") is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas. The festival was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar."
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule


It's still a religious festival, regardless of if it's considered Pagan or Christian.

Both are of no interest or relevance to me so I don't have anything to do with it. I'm not interested in the cherry picked so called secular parts either. I find it all very tacky and forced.


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## Double Indemnity (Aug 15, 2011)

I celebrate the heck out of Christmas.


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## Jamovik (Oct 13, 2011)

ugh1979 said:


> It's still a religious festival, regardless of if it's considered Pagan or Christian.
> 
> Both are of no interest or relevance to me so I don't have anything to do with it. I'm not interested in the cherry picked so called secular parts either. I find it all very tacky and forced.


And why is that?


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## Milco (Dec 12, 2009)

I find it harder to argue why Christmas is a religious event than to argue why it isn't.
I like spending time with family and getting nice food though, so that part of Christmas I enjoy.
It's really the presents, the rush and the stress I mind the most about Christmas - not the negligible Christian undertones.


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## ugh1979 (Aug 27, 2010)

Jamovik said:


> And why is that?


Well Xmas being tacky is obvious. The majority of Xmas decorations, themes and the overbearing visuals our media beams at us are very gaudy and lacking in taste.

As for being forced, that's what I interpret as being the feeling many people have about it, as it's a time of year where they are under intense pressure to conform and buy in to all that is Xmas and I refuse to be part of it.

It's just a big commercial exploitation of the masses, based on the *******isation of a hijacked religious festival.


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## idiotboy (Sep 30, 2011)

i'm an atheist and i celebrate christmas, and here's how and why (and no, this is not a suggestion nor a judgment on anyone else)...

i buy my wife, daughter and parents presents because i love doing little things for them that they wouldn't/couldn't do for themselves. just spoiling someone a wee bit is nice; we're all tight enough on money that ordinarily it has to go to practical things like bills, food, toiletries etc. so when i hear my wife say "oh, i heard _______ has a new album out" or "did you know ______ is coming out on blu-ray this week?" and she can't pick it up, i'll get it for her. entertainment is a nice little relaxation from the bull**** that permeates through daily life.

i don't sing, i don't pray, i don't go to church and i don't start in october. a few years ago i started a campaign with my wife to "Fight Christmas" back down to a reasonable size. through november we drink and watch horror movies, because christmas shouldn't even be mentioned until december and you sure as **** don't watch horror movies or get tanked to make one with Jeebus. but since we have a baby, a couple weeks out from 12/25 we decorate and do silly christmas things. it's not in relation to the religious side of christmas; i just remember being really excited about everyone being nice and getting each other gifts when i was little and we'd like to raise our daughter to have the same excited/kind-hearted/charitable spirit and christmas is a good time to do so.

that's it from my end.


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## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

You can still celebrate christmas without the religious aspect--celebrate giving, celebrate coming together and spending time with family, celebrate the winter solctice. In terms of decorations, there is nothing about religious about an evergreen tree with lights and some bulbs. I actually prefer simple decorations, not the mangers and santas and other related things. Some of my family that I visit during the holidays are religious and they choose to pray before the meal--I just simple sit their quiet and respect their prayer, though I am not praying.


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## Jnmcda0 (Nov 28, 2003)

This pretty well sums up my thoughts:


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## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

We celebrate a secular Xmas and Easter. We have two kids and we've done the Santa and Easter bunny thing with them (this is first year for 10 yr old not believing). But I still try to emphasize to them that family is important. I tell them that the holidays are for being with family. I've tried to tell them that "some people believe..." regarding the holidays.

I would rather not get any presents. I find it too awkward. But I deal with it and try to make the best of it.

This past year my depression has gotten worse and I've had no desire to decorate for each holiday, like I have in the past.


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## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

idiotboy said:


> but since we have a baby, a couple weeks out from 12/25 we decorate and do silly christmas things. it's not in relation to the religious side of christmas; i just remember being really excited about everyone being nice and getting each other gifts when i was little and we'd like to raise our daughter to have the same excited/kind-hearted/charitable spirit and christmas is a good time to do so.
> 
> that's it from my end.


She's going to love it this year! It makes it fun again when you see it through their eyes! Your daughter is at a fun age!


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## EagerMinnow84 (Sep 1, 2007)

I like the holidays. I looooooove decorating, baking cookies, eating good food, the bitterly cold weather and stuff. 

The commercialism is nauseating though.

I never heard that Tim Minchin song, it is lovely. 



> I would rather not get any presents. I find it too awkward. But I deal with it and try to make the best of it.


I always felt this way, even as a child. I was always anxious when I opened presents in front of people so I rarely showed any enthusiasm. My cousins were a lot more excitable when they opened their gifts.


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## Brax (Jun 15, 2005)

I don't think Christmas is a secular holiday. It's only seen that way because we take what we like from it and because Christianity is the majority so we think it's 'cultural' and secular. I think it's a religious event based on older other religious events. That said, I have been known to celebrate holidays with spiritual origins. I may be an atheist but I like to add ceremonial significance to aspects of life - and why not? We have imaginations. I've borrowed pagan holidays and even done the Christmas thing. I just don't call it 'Christmas' because the ideals embodied by Christ (and the religion as a whole) are not my cup of tea and frankly a little degrading. To give that any more cultural status than a tradition of the majority religion is to carry that degradation into undeserved cultural prominence.

For a while I began calling it 'Chrismas' with its central figure a stoner named Chris who enjoyed giving gifts to others on his birthday. Other times it's just 'giftmas'... I like having opportunities to just buy gifts for someone.

On the other hand that we're all celebrating Christmas now without the cursed Nazarene... means fading respect for aspects of Christianity held sacred, for the religion as a whole. And while I may feel a little sorry for them in that, I also consider it progress if just for that.


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## somemvp (Oct 17, 2011)

I will defiantly be over at the Moms house for a delicious feast. However I will not be decorating my own apartment.


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## Dark Alchemist (Jul 10, 2011)

The real question is why christians are celebrating a pagan holiday.

I celebrate xmas because its mainly a cultural holiday and I do enjoy pagan traditions, not just for xmas.


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## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I wouldn't overthink it. If you enjoy lights and decorations, then put up lights and decorations. If you enjoy listening to Christmas music, listen to Christmas music. If you enjoy giving gifts, then continue to give gifts. Do what you like; don't do what you don't like. Life is too short to worry about whether or not you're being a good atheist.


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## Josie (Dec 8, 2008)

I don't really celebrate Easter anymore. I might take it as a reminder that I like hard-boiled eggs and make some egg salad (yummmm), but that's the most I do. I will probably start again when I have kids, because egg hunting is fun and so is getting a ton of candy (and some toys, if you buy those gift basket things). It's also a good opportunity to teach kids the history of the holiday.

I do celebrate Christmas. It just makes the freezing winter all the more bearable. I like the more secular/winterish songs that have become part of the seasonal music (oohhh the weather outside is frightful~). The religious music I don't listen to much, but I will admit that it's pretty, and I listen to some songs for nostalgia. And of course, it's nice to get together, exchange presents, and have a feast.


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## Melinda (Feb 5, 2009)

I enjoy celebrating Christmas, and don't care that it is a religious holiday. I also like some of the religious Christmas songs. I would rather listen to silent night than that god-awful rudolph song any day, atheist police be damned. :duck


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## The Silent 1 (Aug 21, 2011)

I think Richard Dawkins said it best when he called himself a cultural Christian. In other words hes not religious, but there are aspects of Christian culture (the holidays, the art, the old cathedrals, the songs) that he enjoys. I tend to view myself the same way and there are aspects of other religions I like such as Buddhism, even though I don't prescribe to those religions either. Several cultures have had some sort of end of the year celebration, and Christmas is the one that has become engrained in our culture, and as others have pointed out, it actually has Pagan origins. Furthermore, even though the Christians adopted it, it has taken on so many other secular aspects (Santa Clause, etc) that it almost exists outside religion in a lot of ways.


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## purplefruit (Jan 11, 2011)

this is my first year doing christmas on my own, i'm welcome to go to visit my bf's parents with him but not sure if i will due to sa. if i don't go there i will likely do no celebrating. if i can find a small real tree i wouldn't mind putting it up, because i like trees, but yea other than that not doing anything. i have no intention of celebrating easter either, most boring useless commercialised christian holiday thing imo. oh wait, the chocolate. well the chocolate is nice. i might buy some discounted chocolate after easter.

on-topic, i don't see the problem with celebrating "religious" holidays *dodges atheist's tomatoes* they're pretty commercial and even non-christian people celebrate that stuff so as long as you enjoy it and you don't feel morally conflicted then i say go for it.


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## leave me alone (Apr 1, 2011)

Sigh, Christmas, my least favorite time of the year. I like the pagan traditions, but todays xmas is a joke. It has hardly anything to do with the original idea.


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## Joe (May 18, 2010)

Its more about the presents now a days and its a exciting time of year, Id of said it still brings a message and brings people closer but really not many people are like that anymore.


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## engram (Jul 1, 2011)

I do not celebrate christmas or easter at all. I avoid it completely and stay home and disconnect from everything even more. Jesus and christianity are empty terms to me (I'm much closer to buddhism). Today's christmas are just about shopping hype and consumerism.... based on what I see around me. 

I have utterly cold relationships in my family and I hate to give them presents, because I consider it as hypocrisy.

I'd completely scratch december from the calendar. The most stupid month of the year ends by drinking hysteria because some number increments. And it was done by romans so they could know when to start collecting taxes.... So why should I celebrate that. I celebrate when I do something well... (happened twice in life so far)

I just think of the winter solstice, a moment, when the day starts to prolongate and nights are shortening. But it's no big deal, I'm depressed throughout the dark days which make like half a year at 50°N latitude.

The best december would be the one spent on Zanzibar, Mexico, India ...


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## Jnmcda0 (Nov 28, 2003)

Here is a fascinating article about Christmas in colonial America:

http://christmas-celebrations.org/10-christmas-in-colonial-america.html

Basically, Christmas celebrations of the time were like a combination of Mardis Gras and Halloween.

Here's an article about Christmas from a London Newspaper from 1822:

http://oldfashionedholidays.wordpre...n-london-england-1822-old-fashioned-holidays/

And here is an article about how our early Presidents celebrated Christmas:

http://the44diaries.wordpress.com/2...-christmas-at-the-white-house-1789-thru-1849/


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## anthrotex (Oct 24, 2011)

I like to celebrate my family and friends. The only time Christ is even mentioned is in my dad's dinner prayer. Other than than, it's just about everyone being together and opening gifts.


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## Reinvented (Apr 25, 2011)

Xmas hasn't lost all meaning to me. These days it's just about family for me, rather than a random child who was born over 2000 year's ago.


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## kanra (Nov 27, 2011)

Christmas to my family isn't only about the birth of jesus, it's also about togetherness and the spirit of giving. I think it's all right no matter what your belief is to celebrate something like christmas.


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## BeNice (Jan 2, 2004)

I don't really care about it but you know how it is. In the future we will just give each other presents under the pretense of "winter solstice" or some other BS. Man, just give me stuff now. I would like a pedal steel guitar. I'll hit you back later.


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## ugh1979 (Aug 27, 2010)

engram said:


> I do not celebrate christmas or easter at all. I avoid it completely and stay home and disconnect from everything even more. Jesus and christianity are empty terms to me (I'm much closer to buddhism). Today's christmas are just about shopping hype and consumerism.... based on what I see around me.


Likewise, I avoid it as much as possible for religious and consumerism reasons.



> I have utterly cold relationships in my family and I hate to give them presents, because I consider it as hypocrisy.


I don't, but I frequently see my family all year round, so seeing them on 25th Dec is unnecessary.



> I'd completely scratch december from the calendar. The most stupid month of the year ends by drinking hysteria because some number increments. And it was done by romans so they could know when to start collecting taxes.... So why should I celebrate that.


Agreed.



> I celebrate when I do something well.


Likewise. I celebrate me, my friends and family's events if they are worthy. These religion/society set celebration days mean nothing to me. I have have many other things I celebrate which do have relevance and meaning to me.


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## Illmatic123 (Sep 15, 2011)

Stopping Christmas celebrations just because you're not a Christian is a dumb thing to do imo. I mean lets be honest...for 90% of christians, the holiday is hardly a religious thing.

Plus celebrating greatly helps the economy.


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## mcmuffinme (Mar 12, 2010)

I will always celebrate Christmas, regardless of my beliefs or lack thereof. I think it's nice to have a time of year where we give each other presents. If I have kids, I will definitely keep the present total modest, and I might get smaller Christmas trees- maybe. I know I like white lights on the tree, and I've never been able to do this since my mother bought and decided our light setup long ago. My Christmas decor will be much less about Santa or Jesus, and more about the approach of winter. However, I think I want the big, single bulb, multicolored lights on the outside of my house. For some reason those kind of lights make me feel like I'm in the 1970s! I hope my future house looks somewhat like a cabin to bring this look together, although I would highly doubt it.

Anyway, I just love the feeling of Christmas. It makes me feel young again, like a child. I couldn't deprive my offspring of the experience of Christmas as a child. There's nothing else like it! 

I'll probably even keep up the tradition of lying to my children about Santa


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## Tugwahquah (Apr 13, 2011)

I have always celebrated holidays, for my children's sake, because I have to, cause society says so. Its what America does right? Traditionally, this all means big bucks for the economy, and a strain on budgets. I hate celebrating all this:
New years, Valentines, Presidents Day (Sales), Easter, Mothers and Fathers day, Memorial Day, Independence day, Labor day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas. 
Then on top of all that there are birthdays, funerals, baby-showers and weddings. :wtf 
That's a lot of shopping to do and plans to make, even as meager as I try to live, and teach my kids to be. How much stuff do people really need?!!.

I'm not Christian anymore, but I do believe in the story of Jesus. It's a very sad thing that happened to him. He was doing good and yet people crucified him. wtf! That's messed up! Its also confusing as to why the modern Christian faith embraces Santa Clause on Jesus birthday, especially considering they are not supposed to worship false idols.


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## Jnmcda0 (Nov 28, 2003)

Tugwahquah said:


> I have always celebrated holidays, for my children's sake, because I have to, cause society says so.


You don't have to celebrate Christmas. People may think you are strange if you don't, but no one is forcing you to conform to cultural norms.



Tugwahquah said:


> Its also confusing as to why the modern Christian faith embraces Santa Clause on Jesus birthday, especially considering they are not supposed to worship false idols.


I don't think anybody is worshipping Santa Clause, at least not in the way that one worships a deity. Besides, if it wasn't for the myth of Santa Clause, Christmas might not exist any longer. The celebration of Christmas had almost died out in the early 1800s. It wasn't until books like Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Clement C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" were published in the early-mid 1800s that Christmas saw a re-birth.


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## SaikoSakura382 (Nov 8, 2011)

I always heard that Christmas came from some pagans somewhere in Africa. That when missionaries came, they changed their pagan holiday of 'worshiping the sun' to 'worshiping the son'. Despite that fact...

I'm not a Christian, nor am I an athiest. I still celebrate this christian holiday, though, for various reasons. One, society itself has already seperated the holiday from religion. How the hell is a tree, decorations, and santa religious? They're not. Giving gifts is the only religious thing left, and it's only here because people love getting gifts. So when I celebrate it, it's just because I actually enjoy giving things to people. Hate getting things, though. Two) People are generally happier this time of year, which makes me less nervous to go outside. I guess that puts me in the mood to celebrate with them!^^ And three) My parents are christians so... I kind of have to. They make it really religious which really sucks.


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## saram (Dec 8, 2011)

My family celebrates giftmas! I don't know that I would if I didn't have children though. In one aspect I think holidays and family tradition is important. Also, I believe it is important for my children to be aware of religious traditions and holidays as I think their choice to be atheist, Christian, or any other faith (or lack there of) is theirs alone. We obviously don't pray or go to church but they know the religious aspect of christmas and then they know how we celebrate christmas. But I believe it is important for them to understand all the holidays not just christmas so we also read and do activities for Hannukah, etc too.


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## RIVENS (Dec 14, 2011)

I celebrate christmas. To me its not about religionbut a celebration of my family and the appreciation we have for each other.


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## frank81 (Dec 1, 2011)

I celebrate Chinese New Year & Christmas. For X'mas, exchanging gifts is fun. They're nothing religious to me. Gathering with friends during these holiday seasons is something like you can only do it once in a year due to the busy schedule. 

Christmas is just a few days ahead, so I hope for those of you who managed to make friends here, probably you can celebrate it together if you're not too far away from each other.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I refuse to have any part of x-mas.

It's about the birth of the ultimate fraud combined with an orgy of consumerism by idiots intent on going into debt and eventually bankrupt. Neither of those stupid ideas interests me.


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## MrBakura91 (Dec 11, 2011)

I'm an atheist but I love Christmas! I don't see why it offends people so much. Most of the practices are Pagan in origin anyway and I don't see the problem with Nativity scenes, Its once a year and I'll respect that alot of our countries population is Christian. (That doesn't mean Keep'em up year round put Creationism and The 10 commandments in public schools thats a different issue I AM against.) I can respect someones right to beleive and not the beleif itself.


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## VagueResemblance (Apr 17, 2010)

This has been a holiday season since before there were Christians. 

I celebrate it mostly as a family tradition nowadays. Everything religious has been stripped from it, it's a family gathering and small feast.


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## wordscancutyoulikeglass (May 4, 2012)

I had my first meaningless Christmas:/ and it was a little hard because my family babbling about Jesus, but the whole joy in the shopping and gift giving was just as fun. I would recomend still celebrating it, not because the religion, but because it's a happy holiday.


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## HarryStanluv25 (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm an atheist but I will always celebrate Christmas. It will just have a different meaning to me now. I'm doing it because I love the feel it gives, I love giving gifts and well, getting them as well. I love the decorations, the food, the songs, and how everyone seems to get together as one happy family, at least for the time being. To me, this is Christmas. Why does it have to be about anything else? I admit I do still love hearing and singing all the religious-themed songs but they're a part of my childhood. I grew up with these things, I don't want to cut them out. My family never made a big deal when it came to the god-stuff on holidays so it wouldn't change now. 

I will always love Christmas, minus the Jesus story.


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## Mauricio5 (Jun 19, 2012)

I dont. Unless there is food involved.


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## Gigantopithecus (Jan 31, 2012)

My family still celebrates them so I participate. I admit I'm a little greedy and like the gifts and food. It's centered around the kids more these days, though. I don't think there's been a time when it wasn't primarily focused on the children in the family.

I also happen to like the decorations and themes, change in scenery, etc. It feels very nostalgic and warm to me. We also never involved 'Jesus' or anything with it very much despite my family being religious. It was mostly about Santa and the mystery of everything (when I was young anyway). Now it's just gifts, food, and a nice break. I love(d) it.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I only see Christmas as a cultural holiday anymore, I don't care about any religious aspect it has.


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## MissMichele (Jul 19, 2012)

*Yes...*

I do. But I don't go all out. I have a small tree...Hardly decorate it. And I just give presents to people I care about. I also recieve very little presents because half my family are Witnesses and don't celebrate it. 

I say to people that I inherited the "no holiday" thing from Witnesses, without the religion. : )

I want to have a family someday...Most certainly they will not have religion. And I am still deciding what I'll do about holidays. So far...

1. Easter - Maybe participate in the events, but not have the "bunny sneaks into your house" story. Instead, I will tell them the real reason behind Easter...That it is a holiday towards fertility "babies" and new life. ^^

2. Halloween - I dunno... I don't like Halloween. I feel like it sucks now. And it's too dangerous to go "Trick or Treating". I think I would just have a lil party.

3. Christmas - Again, I don't want to make a big deal. I wont have the "Santa sneaks into the house" story only treat it as a "myth". 

That's all I've got.


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