How was your athesist christmas?

[Baggy]

I joined up here just before the festivities began, and sadly had to be absent shortly after because I was away from the internet (actually no bad thing!¬) for a few days.

How was your Christmas - from an atheist perspective?

Mine? Well I live in the UK and my family is agnostic to say the least. I treat it like a mid-winter festival and do my best to enjoy!

I can't say I enjoy the nonsense that goes with it though!

[Will]

Bestivus festivus ever. -stivus.

I decorated the day after Thanksgiving. I started around 9AM and got to see all of my neighbors as they put on their armor and went out to battle over Black Friday deals. I decided to go easy this year and just do twinkling icicle lights along the roof line, a lit wreath around the front gate, and, of course, to spiral alternating white and red lights up the gas lamp in the front to give it that candy cane look. As an addition this year, I made a snowman scarecrow in the patio area to greet guests.

I got a chance to go see the Nutcracker this year with some friends and a special friend. I'm a real sucker for Tchaikovsky and Christmas wouldn't be the same without the quintessential Christmas ballet. We got up to San Francisco early, so we wandered around Union Square for a few hours before getting over to the War Memorial.

I volunteered at a shelter downtown a few nights when I could spare. I've been thinking ever since that atheist organizations need to do stuff like this because there was a little more proselytizing than I was comfortable with. I donated a few toys to Toys for Tots, too. They actually ran out of boxes this year there were so many people donating.

We, family, friends and I, had 7 layer dip for Christmas Eve, featuring homemade refried beans, homemade guac, homemade salsa, sour cream, many cheeses, green onions and olives. We also had quesadillas on homemade tortillas. We finished that off with s'mores. Christmas Eve can be somewhat hectic, so finger food is an absolute must. Christmas morning featured my famous French toast (I use sweet batard for the bread now, which really brings a wonderful doughy flavor), bacon, eggs, raspberry ring, and of course Coffee Society Kona blend, freshly ground and brewed. Presents were shared with family and friends. I got a new office chair, new slippers, some very nice clothing, and a few other trinkets. I gave a new computer, a snowboard, a few iPads, and one of the best Pinot Noirs ever to come from Northern California. What can I say? I love giving big. For Christmas dinner, I made a honey-glazed ham, pumpkin soup, hot salmon salad nicoise, and beef Wellington with pannacotta for dessert. And, of course, through each of these was a soundtrack of Christmas music, most of it orchestral or brass, to really make things super-Christmasy.

[AnimatedDirt]

Bestivus festivus ever. -stivus.

I decorated the day after Thanksgiving. I started around 9AM and got to see all of my neighbors as they put on their armor and went out to battle over Black Friday deals. I decided to go easy this year and just do twinkling icicle lights along the roof line, a lit wreath around the front gate, and, of course, to spiral alternating white and red lights up the gas lamp in the front to give it that candy cane look. As an addition this year, I made a snowman scarecrow in the patio area to greet guests.

I got a chance to go see the Nutcracker this year with some friends and a special friend. I'm a real sucker for Tchaikovsky and Christmas wouldn't be the same without the quintessential Christmas ballet. We got up to San Francisco early, so we wandered around Union Square for a few hours before getting over to the War Memorial.

I volunteered at a shelter downtown a few nights when I could spare. I've been thinking ever since that atheist organizations need to do stuff like this because there was a little more proselytizing than I was comfortable with. I donated a few toys to Toys for Tots, too. They actually ran out of boxes this year there were so many people donating.

We, family, friends and I, had 7 layer dip for Christmas Eve, featuring homemade refried beans, homemade guac, homemade salsa, sour cream, many cheeses, green onions and olives. We also had quesadillas on homemade tortillas. We finished that off with s'mores. Christmas Eve can be somewhat hectic, so finger food is an absolute must. Christmas morning featured my famous French toast (I use sweet batard for the bread now, which really brings a wonderful doughy flavor), bacon, eggs, raspberry ring, and of course Coffee Society Kona blend, freshly ground and brewed. Presents were shared with family and friends. I got a new office chair, new slippers, some very nice clothing, and a few other trinkets. I gave a new computer, a snowboard, a few iPads, and one of the best Pinot Noirs ever to come from Northern California. What can I say? I love giving big. For Christmas dinner, I made a honey-glazed ham, pumpkin soup, hot salmon salad nicoise, and beef Wellington with pannacotta for dessert. And, of course, through each of these was a soundtrack of Christmas music, most of it orchestral or brass, to really make things super-Christmasy.

Sounds like "a lot of nonsense" to me.  

Really, it sounds like a great Christmas.  May I be on your list next year.  I wouldn't mind an iPad.  heh.

[ChattyMute]

Well, even though my mom is Christian, we don't do anything related to Christ. It's just a family and giving holiday for us. She jokes me every year about going to midnight service. F that. We open presents at midnight.

It was pretty good for me though. I got everything I wanted and everyone seemed to enjoy the gifts I got them (really enjoy, not the "oh, thanks").

Aside from playing loads and loads of video games, I can't even remember what else I did over Christmas break besides go over to a birthday party and a friends house for New Years.

[Tom62]

Well, it was kind of nice. My wife bought a nice looking plastic X-Mas tree, which I had to decorate. Turned out that the tree was much bigger than the European "organic models", so the few X-Mas decorations, that we'd brought over from Germany, looked really lost in it. Got loads of nice presents from the Christkind, like a new camera (Canon S-95) and a bottle of 23 year's old rye whiskey. Had a wonderful Christmas dinner with the neighbours.

The next day, we went to a Christmas sing-along concert at the Kennedy Center (Washington DC). My wife loves choir music (she used to sing in a professional choir, years ago), so she truly enjoyed it. I'm not so much in that kind of music, but at least one song (out of 14) I could appreciate. In the evening we had a marvelous dinner in one of the best restaurants in DC (my wallet still hurts   ).

[phoenixrrt62]

I joined up here just before the festivities began, and sadly had to be absent shortly after because I was away from the internet (actually no bad thing!¬) for a few days.

How was your Christmas - from an atheist perspective?

Mine? Well I live in the UK and my family is agnostic to say the least. I treat it like a mid-winter festival and do my best to enjoy!

I can't say I enjoy the nonsense that goes with it though!

Our holiday was ok. My son might not agree, he got dragged to Christmas service (Episcopal church, and a liberal one) and other than the pastor directing one part of her sermon to him (saying that everyone was welcome to the service, even those who don't believe in a god-while looking right at him) it was all good, he says. I worked Christmas eve and day (night) and worked NYE, but got off new years day, yay!
I do get gifts for the boy and all of my friend's family, b/c they are my family to me...I have bio cousins, but I don't know them too well...my friend that I grew up with, they always treated me like one of the family, b/c the shitty foster parents I had didn't.
Other than that...meh. Christmas never was a major big deal to me, more of a secular thing. I don't really even decorate, or I do it half-assed. We have a 3 foot tree, and a few nick-knacks we put out, and that's it.
Now when the boy was little, we used to make a big deal about the decorating and Santa and all that crap. The boy caught on to the Santa BS when he was about 6, if memory serves. I was actually glad, I hated lying to the kid....the ex thought it was one of those childhood things that he should get to enjoy.

I hope everyone that celebrates had a great holiday:D

[Asmodean]

Worked 21 days running... Pretty sure christmas was one of those...  

[MariaEvri]

ghastly. Heavy depression, not because its holidays, but because of family. We gather together for feasts and that's when I remember that I'm the black ship of the family.

[terranus]

Oh, lots of fun. I made sure to by decorations that were all non-religious (many of which were Frosty the Snowman related). It took a while for anyone to notice, but once they did - ah ha ha ha!! My little secular X-mas revenge against my highly prejudiced religious family members!  

[Kylyssa]

I survived the holidays. It was less miserable than some Christmases have been for me but there was still the disruption of schedules and the requirement to buy and, worse yet, accept gifts.  I hate getting presents.  It puts a person on display.  Since I don't get presents often, I am not sure I am accurately simulating a normal reaction when I get gifts to unwrap.

My partner "cleverly" decided to get around my request that he not get me any presents by marking presents as "from Santa."  I'm still a bit annoyed by it.  I honestly don't want to open any presents.

[Asmodean]

My partner "cleverly" decided to get around my request that he not get me any presents by marking presents as "from Santa."  I'm still a bit annoyed by it.  I honestly don't want to open any presents.

Eh well... At least people remember you when they do their gift shopping. Me, I am forgotten by all but my customers throughout holiday season  :hmm:

[TheWilliam]

Awesome as usual.

I don't do shit on Christmas.  I slept in and this is the only day of the year I do that. I literally consume about three pounds of junkfood and four to six joints.

I watched toy story three, some big bang theory and blue mountain state.  My ex (also atheist) came over for a while.
I read some essays and forums. Took a long gangsta ass bubble bath.
Yea.

I look forward to Christmas all year.

[Guardian85]

My christmas was a fairly usual affair. Took some time of work, went home to the folks. No religious mumbo-jumbo, just family, presents and enough good food and drink to sink a small boat.

Eh well... At least people remember you when they do their gift shopping. Me, I am forgotten by all but my customers throughout holiday season  :hmm:

And as for this comment, Asmodean...
You didn't get me anything, either!

[Asmodean]

And as for this comment, Asmodean...
You didn't get me anything, either!

There is a difference between five hours by train and next door/a short bus ride away. I hold no grudges against my long distance friends for having their priorities closer to home during that season.