I always feel like a fraud this time of year.
I know that Christmas has pagan roots, and as much as I dislike Christianity getting more attention than it deserves, I enjoy celebrating Christmas, sans all the theology along with it. Part of it is because my entire family and my significant other's family are Catholic. Also, I haven't exactly outed myself as an Atheist to anyone in my family. But perhaps the biggest reason I celebrate it is because I enjoy getting together with friends and family, exchanging gifts, enjoying a day where everyone is generally happy.
Am I alone here? I've considered becoming the Black Sheep of the family by not celebrating it, but I don't know. Forgive me if this is an exhausted topic, but I've never actually discussed Athiest with anyone before. It's something I keep to myself because apparently it's a stigma not to believe in the tooth fairy.
I don't see why you should worry. Most of us do the same. It's not much of a religious festival any more, unless one chooses to make it so.
If you enjoy the Christmas stuff, then do the Christmas stuff, it's mostly secular now anyway... at least until someone starts the Church of Santa.
I celebrate what I term a secular christmas. I enjoy the feasting, the gifts, the decorations, and the gathering of loved ones. No creches, no "christ" in christmas, no church. I looked into kwanzaa once, because it seemed secular, but since I'm not african american, and one of the purposes of it is to get in touch with one's african roots, that didn't work out so well. lol
I say celebrate anything you want to, in whatever way you want to. You can always call it yule, or solstice, or simply a winter celebration. It's your life, I say enjoy it!!! :)
Quote from: Traveler on December 23, 2011, 10:01:31 PM
I celebrate what I term a secular christmas. I enjoy the feasting, the gifts, the decorations, and the gathering of loved ones. No creches, no "christ" in christmas, no church. I looked into kwanzaa once, because it seemed secular, but since I'm not african american, and one of the purposes of it is to get in touch with one's african roots, that didn't work out so well. lol
I say celebrate anything you want to, in whatever way you want to. You can always call it yule, or solstice, or simply a winter celebration. It's your life, I say enjoy it!!! :)
You have African roots, they're just 60,000 years older that the recent influx! ;D
Quote from: Tank on December 23, 2011, 10:07:11 PM
You have African roots, they're just 60,000 years older that the recent influx! ;D
LOL!!! I wonder how that would go over?
Quote from: Traveler on December 23, 2011, 10:11:17 PM
Quote from: Tank on December 23, 2011, 10:07:11 PM
You have African roots, they're just 60,000 years older that the recent influx! ;D
LOL!!! I wonder how that would go over?
I have no idea. You'd have to ask, but being English and living in Leeds our roots are probably pretty close somewhere along the line.
It is only hypocritical if you are anti gifts pretty lights And celebrating old pagan holidays...in which case you probably should cut out Halloween too ;D
I do not celebrate Xmas or Halioween, but not because it would be hypocritical to do so - I just feel like I don't have anything to celebrate on given dates.
You don't have to celebrate the alleged birthday of a magical goat-herder from some obscure desert in some backward corner of the world, but you can still celebrate something on the same day, be it your family, life in general or... whatever.
I celebrate christmas with my red and green hat.
It has a fish on it which is difficult to see, that fish has legs on it which are nearly impossible to see but I know they're there.
It's not an issue for me nor my buddhist sister to get together, drink too much and eat eggs benedict as we watch the kids open gifts. Watching Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation is a must as are Mimosas and cheesey Christmas music.