With the holidays coming up . . .

[Sandra Craft]

There was a time, quite a while ago now, when the Xtian holidays were an awkward, uncomfortable time for me.  Today I have a hard time even remembering why it was such a problem for me but I think it was a mixture of feeling like a hypocrite if I participated and feeling alone if I didn't. 

Now, I don't care.  Maybe I've just gotten to the age when I don't take much that seriously anymore, but now it's just a fun, silly cultural blow-out.  That "war on Xmas" business still annoys me but I don't associate it with the gift-giving, bread baking, eggnog drinking that goes on around me and that I enjoy participating in.

I was curious as to how much of an issue the holidays are for others, if they are, and how you deal with it. 

[xSilverPhinx]

Around my family, they just don't have a religious tone (unless I'm at my grandfather's in which case it can get a bit religious). They're days off and time to give eachother presents or chocolate eggs  

[Recusant]

Don't tell anyone, but <whisper>we have plans</whisper>.

[Sweetdeath]

Oddly enough, ths religious aspect of holidays were never an issue on my end.  The biggest issue I have is that I DON'T celebrate the holidays, but every friend I know does.  It's quite idioti, to see these people cram into an airport, fly over to see family once a year, pretend to be friendly, then mooch off food and give shitty gifts.

I'm sorry, but the holidays are jyst a scam to get poor blokes to throw away cash. I hate xmas music, and I dont encourage anyone to get me a gift.  I'd rather have a "out.of blue"  of even "bday gift" than "oh...assorted lotions...cuz I will so use these ever.."
And please don't give me it's the thought that counts crap.  Working retail (gamestop) the year wii came out. I wanted to kill all ignorant parents and their friends.

And look at that, speaking of xmas in SEPTEMBER. FUN

[Tank]

Never had any religious content at Xmas in my family so not a problem.

[Crow]

And look at that, speaking of xmas in SEPTEMBER. FUN

I had my first christmas brief come through for work in August, which was annoying but its easy money.

I personally don't celebrate Christmas, however work almost completely dries up during that period so I have a lot of free time, so usually just spend it with friends and family, or travel. If I get invited for Christmas dinner I will go, and if people buy me a present I will buy them one. Otherwise I do not bother.

[Siz]

Well I've got kids, so Christmas is pretty full on... and I love it.
Religion aside (and celebrating Christmas so energetically was hijacked from the Pagan festival of Yule anyway) it is still a good time to be thankful count ones blessings and take time to reflect on our relationships and lives... and stuff our greedy fat faces with delicious food.

And, yes, I'll play into the hands of cynical and greedy retailers by buying 'stuff', but that's another issue.

It all creates a joyful atmosphere within the home. Why should I feel apologetic for joining in the fun just because I'm Atheist? Like it or not, Christian festivals have shaped our cultural heritage - whether you're religious or not. If you strip away ALL that has been created by Christian society you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I'm not prepared to give up the fun stuff just because it was instigated by Christians. I can just as easily leave out the religion as I do with every other aspect of my life.

I have a (lovely) hindu neighbour who takes pride in her celebration of historically Christian festivals. "Why?" I ask. "Because it's fun" she replies.

[Tank]

The 'person' who enjoyed Xmas most in our houshold was without a doubt, Rusty 



She was a taught as a bow string as the presents were handed out and when it was her turn she would shread the wrapping to get at what was inside 

[xSilverPhinx]

That's a cute dog, Tank. What kind of terrier is she?

[Tank]

That's a cute dog, Tank. What kind of terrier is she?

Mostly Border Terrier.

[Whitney]

I like any excuse for a party.

[Will]

Honestly? I love the holiday season. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all predate Christianity by a very, very long time. The fact they were adopted by Christians does not give them exclusive rights of ownership at all over the celebrations.

Halloween is based on the ancient Celtic festival Samhain that celebrated the end of the harvest season. The supernatural aspect was about the days becoming shorter near the Vernal Equinox, and preparation for Winter meaning, somehow that the separation between the natural world and the supernatural world was somehow less substantial than normal, but it was generally just an observation of old mythology that no one believed in anymore. It was mostly cultural. Today, we celebrate it as a sort of spooky kind of holiday where we try to scare each other and enjoy the more macabre parts of our culture. Not only that, but it's a fun way to connect to our communities as children and parents go from house to house to receive gifts. Every year, I invite a group of friends over for a nice meal (featuring plenty of pumpkin!) and scary movies. This year, I'm thinking of buy ALIEN on bluray and showing that. And I love decorating the house in fake spiderwebs and orange lights and ghosts and stuff.

Thanksgiving actually predates the European colonization of the Americas and, like Halloween, dates back to harvest festival traditions in Europe. Instead of celebrating the supernatural and the scary, though, it was based on traditions of taking stock of one's life and cherishing and sharing the gifts in one's life. As the name suggests, the holiday is about giving thanks for all the good things in one's life, a way of celebrating being positive and humbled by things like healthy and happy family and friends, one's safety and security, and how, actually, life is pretty damned good. As an atheist, I especially appreciate this because knowing there is no afterlife means that I can cherish what I have in my one, short life even more.

Ah, but Christmas is my absolute favorite!! The celebration of the Winter Solstice is one of the earliest holidays in human history dating back, perhaps, tens of thousands of years! The other holidays generally started well after the agricultural revolution, but celebrating the beginning of the new year, when days start to become longer and longer again and the weather got better and better, may have started back when humans were hunter-gatherers. Thus, this holiday really does connect very firmly to the roots of humanity. Over thousands of years, numerous religions and cultures have adapted the celebration, but in truth, it's a fundamentally human celebration that no religion or culture can really lay claim to. Modern customs all over the globe involve wonderful meals, spending quality time with family, special music and traditions, gift-giving, and popular mythology. And I get totally immersed in it! I have four big plastic boxes of decorations that I've been collecting ever since I was a boy. I have gigabytes of Christmas music on my computer that I play all throughout the season. I decorate my house in lights, in fact I have an old gas lamp in my front yard I decorate to look like a candy cane. I spend months planning out gifts to make sure they really demonstrate I put a lot of thought into them. And holy shit the food. I have 2-3 dinners over Christmas where I cook the best food I know for my closest friends and family. This year, I'm making 7-layer Mexican dip, quesadillas, and s'mores on Christmas Eve, and beef Wellington, roast potatoes, pancetta chestnut Brussels sprouts, chocolate mint truffles, and mulled wine on Christmas Day. I already know what I'm getting most people as gifts.

You shouldn't let being an atheist keep you from enjoying cultural and historical holidays and traditions, in fact, you should adapt them to who you are. Culture and tradition are important parts of being human and don't have to be supernatural or awkward in any way, in fact they can be great fun.

[Sandra Craft]

The 'person' who enjoyed Xmas most in our houshold was without a doubt, Rusty  



She was a taught as a bow string as the presents were handed out and when it was her turn she would shread the wrapping to get at what was inside  

I have to ask -- was the sweater a Xmas present, or did she just happen to be wearing it that day?

I had my first christmas brief come through for work in August, which was annoying but its easy money.

Altho I'm having visions of underwear covered in frolicking reindeer, I know this can't be right.

[Sandra Craft]

And, yes, I'll play into the hands of cynical and greedy retailers by buying 'stuff', but that's another issue.

I think that's the main thing that seduced me back in -- I love gift giving.  Of course, I like getting gifts too but everything about giving -- from the shopping to the wrapping to the handing over -- is pure fun to me.  I don't spend much because I haven't got that much to spend (perhaps 10% annually of my take home pay), and probably half my gifts are home-baked, but it's a real pick-me-up to the end of the year.

[Asmodean]

I just tend to work on such occasions. Someone has to, after all...