Happy Atheist Forum

Since Jesus was not born on Dec 25 and the whole Christian story is all based on lies. How far do you go with Xmas? Or do you just treat the story of Jesus like you would Santa Claus?

To me Christmas is about being with family, eating a lot of good food, and exchanging a few gifts.  I don't really think of Jesus as being a part of it; even when I was religious I knew Christmas was stolen from Pagans and that the real birth date was likely in the spring.

I don't think for the vast majority of Christians any of the "religious" holidays are very religious. Easter? Really?? I know Christians who don't really know what the reason for Easter is. Christmas is pretty easy. I think the whole X-mas thing is a realm of minutia in which I don't wish to be involved.  

Unless I'm saving letters on an announcement board or something. Otherwise, there really is no reason to do it.

On that note, my mom does have a "Keep Christ in Christmas" lawn sign that she puts up every year.  

Hismikeness

Quote from: "hismikeness"I think the whole X-mas thing is a realm of minutia in which I don't wish to be involved.

I use to write x-mas when I was a kid...didn't see it as something anti-christ just a fun way to abbreviate it.

My ex-husband and family used to celebrate Christmas with gluttony, useless and plentiful presents, and a bunch of holier-than-thou posturing.  It really made me uncomfortable AND grossed me out.  

So now I do nothing but use the winter holidays to guilt people into giving things or money to homeless people and charities.

I get wasted and go beat the shit out of a bunch of pinatas every christmas. Then I eat barbacoa!

My family does little for X-mas. My mom and I dislike the present giving process because we don't like the feeling of obligation of giving them because we recieved them. My brother and some of my extended family still sometimes give us gifts despite our requests not to. Even when they say you don't need to give a gift in return it makes me feel like a shitheel regardless. I have told my family I would rather spend time with them then recieve a gift. We also sometimes have a Christmas dinner when one of the more traditionaly minded (grandma usually) sets one up. I have in the past and sure I will again treat x-mas like any other random Tuesday.

I decorate a tree while listening to secular holiday music and I send Christmas cards.  I buy gifts for my mother, nieces and nephew.  Hubby and I eat a good meal, and watch football and some Christmas movies (A Christmas Story and Elf are planned this year).  Since we live so far away from our relatives, it's usually just the two of us.  Mom is visiting this year, so there will be a few extra activities; mostly touristy things.

How far? Too far!

I decorate the entire outside of my house with lights from top to bottom the day after thanksgiving, put up a tree covered in ornaments and lights, and then put lights and pine garland all over the house, along with candy and pine potpourri.

Then comes the music. I've got a huge Christmas playlist on iTunes that I stream all over the house. If those get old, KDFC, the local classical music station, has a streaming internet Christmas music channel.

Then comes the dinners. I have people over constantly for ridiculous dinners all month long, leading up to my famous homemade seven layer dip on Christmas eve followed my s'mores and then a massive honey-baked ham on Christmas day.

Oh, and I always go overboard with gifts. This year, I'm going monitor crazy and I'm getting my dad, mom, and little brothers really nice computer monitors (Acer 23" HD LCDs) along with a whole bunch of other goodies. Even Jack, my beagle, is getting a host of bones and toys.

I love Christmas!!  

Quote from: "Will"How far? Too far!

I decorate the entire outside of my house with lights from top to bottom the day after thanksgiving, put up a tree covered in ornaments and lights, and then put lights and pine garland all over the house, along with candy and pine potpourri.

Then comes the music. I've got a huge Christmas playlist on iTunes that I stream all over the house. If those get old, KDFC, the local classical music station, has a streaming internet Christmas music channel.

Then comes the dinners. I have people over constantly for ridiculous dinners all month long, leading up to my famous homemade seven layer dip on Christmas eve followed my s'mores and then a massive honey-baked ham on Christmas day.

Oh, and I always go overboard with gifts. This year, I'm going monitor crazy and I'm getting my dad, mom, and little brothers really nice computer monitors (Acer 23" HD LCDs) along with a whole bunch of other goodies. Even Jack, my beagle, is getting a host of bones and toys.

I love Christmas!!  

^me if I had a lot of money to spend.  I LOVE Christmas lights and like to stick them on everything.  But I can't decorate my current place because the retard who designed the house didn't put an outlet in the front (which sucks for other reasons too).  I also LOVE parties (any excuse will do) and am looking forward to moving in the spring to a place that will hopefully be a better layout for parties.

I *love* Christmas.  I love the baking, the shopping, the decorating.  I love taking walks with my daughter to see xmas lights (we live in Texas - it's not *too* terribly cold).

And I love Santa Claus.  I love giving gifts to others - and Christmas is a time where it is socially acceptable.  Our Santa doesn't have a naughty list; he is simply the spirit of giving.  I can't wait until Jessie figures out that the jolly guy is a sham so that she can be Santa with me.  

I want to be Will.  

Seriously, that sounds perfect to me.

Growing up we did the whole go to midnight mass thing (a few times, my brothers and I made it too painful for my parents!). But other than that it was Santa, presents, parties, and decorations. Gaudy, Italian decorations (mom and her family all from Italy). But not gaudy, religious ones, just any new marketing thing that came out and would light up.

With my own family (wife and kids), it's more subdued, but still more based on the Santa stuff, although there was a period there of deep devotion. But that shit gets old really fast!

Quote from: "Whitney"^me if I had a lot of money to spend.  I LOVE Christmas lights and like to stick them on everything.  But I can't decorate my current place because the retard who designed the house didn't put an outlet in the front (which sucks for other reasons too).

Booyah (http://www.siliconsolar.com/solar-christmas-lights.html), solar Christmas lights for folks that like to be holiday green and/or that don't have outdoor plugs.  

Quote from: "Will"

Quote from: "Whitney"^me if I had a lot of money to spend.  I LOVE Christmas lights and like to stick them on everything.  But I can't decorate my current place because the retard who designed the house didn't put an outlet in the front (which sucks for other reasons too).

Booyah (http://www.siliconsolar.com/solar-christmas-lights.html), solar Christmas lights for folks that like to be holiday green and/or that don't have outdoor plugs.  

Not to mention that they don't waste electricity!  I'm going to get some of those...I wonder if walmart has them...

Bah!

...
...
...Humbug.  

Quote from: "Tanker"My family does little for X-mas. My mom and I dislike the present giving process because we don't like the feeling of obligation of giving them because we recieved them. .

...about sums it up for me too.

My dad gives me a specified amount of money each year.

Its just another holiday.   An excuse to get together.

For anyone that wants to go even too farther, tonight's episode of Good Eats features Christmas meals from before Christmas was considered Christian. Seriously, that's actually how the episode is framed. Alton Brown made wassail (a hot spiced punch), duck (instead of goose, who flew behind Maverick) with oyster and duck dressing, and sugar plumbs.

Quote from: "Will"For anyone that wants to go even too farther, tonight's episode of Good Eats features Christmas meals from before Christmas was considered Christian. Seriously, that's actually how the episode is framed. Alton Brown made wassail (a hot spiced punch), duck (instead of goose, who flew behind Maverick) with oyster and duck dressing, and sugar plumbs.

Excellent. We watch Alton all the time. Thanks for the heads up. This is a must-see!

Quote from: "Will"For anyone that wants to go even too farther, tonight's episode of Good Eats features Christmas meals from before Christmas was considered Christian. Seriously, that's actually how the episode is framed. Alton Brown made wassail (a hot spiced punch), duck (instead of goose, who flew behind Maverick) with oyster and duck dressing, and sugar plumbs.

Alton rocks!  I already have it set to record all his shows

Hurray for atheists who love christmas!  

Love the colored lights--the gaudier the better. And oh, the cookies. I even love fruitcake, if it's well made and has been basted in Harvey's Bristol Cream since Thanksgiving.
But whenever I'm in a group singing Christmas carols (ike every year at work) I must, just for me, sing the words to "Greensleeves" for  "What Child is This?" and the words to "The Red Flag" to "Oh Christmas Tree."

Most of my family is still christian, so we still do christmas like we always did.   Its only myself and my daughter that are atheists.   At least I don't feel like a hypocrite  anymore.  I used to always cringe at the commercialism of the season when we were supposed to be celebrating Jesus, not standing in line at Walmart.   Now that that monkey is off my back, I can enjoy myself without the guilt.    I'd rather call  it stuff your face and greedy present receiving day, than christmas, but what the hell.

We do the normal Christmas things minus going to church.  We have a tree that is topped with an angel of the sake of tradition, we have stockings over the fireplace, santa figurines in the house.  I have a light up decoration (train) that we STILL need to set up.  We will do the whole Santa Clause thing on Christmas morning and spend the rest of the day with family.

We get drunk, exchange gifts, create emotional scars and at the end of the fist fights, police visits, and threats of bodily harm with a kitchen knife...we hug, laugh, and enjoy the brief time we have together as a family.

IT'S WHAT CHRIST WOULD HAVE WANTED!!!

I get reminded about how i don't belong to my family's religion, so i don't get to celebrate it either. Instead, they call it "happy friday." minus the happy part, it's just another day for me. Although i do get the opportunity to be dragged to family members houses and be scolded on my religious non belief. I do like christmas, despite those around me being bent on my being miserable for not sharing their belief. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, most everyone is in a great mood and generally kind and happy.  

Japan has embraced Christmas in a secular way--not many Xians there, but they love the gift giving. Sounds great--gifts, parties--but no lip-service to a religion.
My fave consolidation of all greetings and the best salvo in the War On Christmas mess is from Sister Susie of the Fanatical Apathy  blog:
Merry Everything![color=#FF80FF][/color]

I was born in Russia and lived there until I was a teenager so to me Xmas = New Year's. The whole process is a lot like Xmas over there. You have the tree (which is not called xmas tree) and presents underneath, and Santa who is also called differently. THere is no religion in it at ALL. People celebrate ALL night, even kids. Adults drink but kids play. At 12 everyone raises a toast (if you're a kid you have juice, but you still participate in the toast). New Year's was my favorite holiday. It sucks people don't do it that way here in U.S. =(

Even as a student in Catholic schools I knew most if not all Christian holidays where just bastardizations of pagan rights celebrating the seasons, and that any religious implications attached to them where merely tacked on in the 16th century as propaganda. As an adult (albeit a young, college-enrolled one)I still don't see anything wrong in celebrating Christmas or Easter for what they are as long as all the religious bs is treated for what it is, so I play along with the family when I'm home.

Like many here, I use it as a reason to get together with the family and exchange some gifts. No religious connotations for us, no one in my family is really that religious.

Well, I live in a very religious home. My parents are Wesleyan Christians and harp on the inclusion of jesus in christmas. Really, I'd prefer to think of it as time to spend with family, even if they are extremely annoying with their preaching. For Christmas my family exchanges gifts, cards, and loving sentiments.

The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood we celebrate this festival very well and enjoy a lot decorate a Christmas tree at our house with lots of gifts,lights.bells,etc..Holiday food is cooked with great passion, and families relish the delectable meals together during the holidays.

I love christmas. Hell, I love winter in general. Nothing beats looking out of my living room window and seeing: [attachment=0:gmziftgw]Winter2.jpg[/attachment:gmziftgw]
Add a few lanterns to it with candle light in the garden, how could anyone deny the beauty of that picture of nature!?

Add to that the festivities of Xmas. For me, it is about seeing my dear friends and the parts of my family that I give a damn about. The company. The food. The pretty, shiny lights. I absolutely love to give eccentric, sometimes bizarre gifts - that always have a useful purpose though. I am a huge fan of finding a cool present and seeing people first confused about it, then being explained it, then thrilled.

The religious concept I don't care about at all. If someone tells me atheists have no reason to celebrate christmas - which HAS happened - I tell them I am not celebrating christmas, I am celebrating "treevopolis" - an atheistic holiday in which all nonbelievers erect a green tree in the house, because trees are awesome and bring joy to the eye of the wanderer as well as tasty cherries to their mouths. So on treevopolis, atheists come together to share their joy of trees with the people they love (because no tree can form a forest of its own) and give gifts to one another (just like trees present animals with fruit to have a cool relationship). Oh, it just so happens by strange coincidence that christmas and treevopolis take place at the same day. When I am told that I am full of shit - which HAS happened - I just tell the offender that it is not cool to mock another man's religion.  

Quote from: "fairylewis"The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood we celebrate this festival very well and enjoy a lot decorate a Christmas tree at our house with lots of gifts,lights.bells,etc..Holiday food is cooked with great passion, and families relish the delectable meals together during the holidays.

^spammer?

Quote from: "fairylewis"The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood we celebrate this festival very well and enjoy a lot decorate a Christmas tree at our house with lots of gifts,lights.bells,etc..Holiday food is cooked with great passion, and families relish the delectable meals together during the holidays.

He loves christmas so much, he's still celebrating in April.  

I celebrate christmas much like any christians do, exept I don't go to church. Decorating, being with family, eat and exchange gifts is what christmas is to me. I also celebrate easter which is all about candy, reading crime novels and soving quizzes (yeah, we do that in Norway). There's really not enough non-religious holidays (at least not here) seeing as we don't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving.