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How do you deal with Christmas?

Serious question, and one I'm sure gets asked every year...how do you guys deal with the social conventions that surround Christmas? 95% of the people, I know, celebrate Christmas and the other 5% celebrate things like Yule; Solstice; Hannukah; etc. What if you just don't care about all of the hype and commotion that leads up to this day? I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and insights on this.

AgnosticJeff 4 Nov 8
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135 comments (26 - 50)

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4

I enjoy christmas. Of course I do not believe in the christ part but I enjoy being with family. I do not lower my head when prayers are said because god I am not going to respect some imaginary being. I usually avoid debate because I want to keep the peace.

Nuke Level 5 Nov 11, 2019
4

My biggest pet peeve on Christmas? The music. It's so repetitive.

It's like listening to pop radio back in the day where they'd play the same hackneyed hits over and over and over. Like in 2001, that radio in the office playing "Your Body Is A Wonderland" every half hour until I wanted to defenestrate the damn thing.

Pleeeease, come up with new Christmas songs!

You should work at a department store or grocery store during Christmas like I did while in school... 😨😨😨😰😰😰😦😦😦😵😵😭😭😭😫😫😫🐂🐂🐂💩💩

4

It is another pagan holiday that people loved and refused to give up so the Christians are still trying to convert it to their holiday.

Try as they may, but they will never get people on board with the idea, because it only holds power over those dumb enough to fall for the political scarecrow that is religion, which is really just a variation on the concept of Boy Scout camp, but for those foolish enough to be politicked.

4

I enjoy Christmas a lot. Grew up celebrating it. Since I'm only one of three atheists in my family, we observe a secular version of the holiday right in the midst of the religion going on all around us. We don't interfere with the religious ritual because we're not assholes.

Deb57 Level 8 Nov 10, 2019
4

I was raised without religion but always celebrated Christmas, it's family time for adults and a magical time for children, a time of tolerance and good will to all. unfortunately greed and commercialism have a different agenda.

ukuwi Level 3 Nov 10, 2019
4

You can celebrate anything you want without any religiosity attached to it. If you get accused for being a non-believer on Christmas, that's tantamount to having someone accuse you for not believing in Harry Potter or magic while you're at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. You don't have to believe it to enjoy it with your family.

This is why I'm so chill about Christmas. I just don't have the time or reason to be grumpy about it, when I can just totally enjoy the good parts about it anyway.

Also, Harry Potter actually happened. 🙄

4

No problem! I wish that more pagan traditions were practiced; ie. spring fertility festivals, bacchanalias, leprachuan steeplechase. Hey, maybe be reciprocal & invite all xmas keepers to a pagan party?
We are creatures of cultural habit & it's not so easy breaking a habit. Party with some like-minded people & celebrate the soltices & equinoxes. As if we need an excuse to party.

4

solstice party

4

I put up tons of secular decorations,play my "music box" holiday CD's, cook a big dinner, stuff my face.
Give family subscriptions for goats, chickens, whatever from Heifer International, donate to the Food Bank & Heat Bank in town. Tis the season to be giving!

4

When I had Kids I did Yule, so they did not feel disenfranchised from the overarching society. As they grew I utilized the holiday as a teaching tool for world religions, none of which I practiced.

With the nest empty I do nothing, but I do exploit the sales after it for things I or my family might need.

4

Barbecue with family, having fun with drunk uncles cursing on young cousins.
Gifts that spread chaos (noisy things, water guns or those merf guns to carry young members of the family and anonymous naughty stuff for the most religious members)

Have in mind that December in Brazil is summer, Christmas eve can be over 30°C.

4

Eat, drink and be merry ....just like everyone else. It’s a holiday, I enjoy it, even the carol singing..especially the carol singing, as I’m a choral singer! We were an atheist household, even in my childhood, and we always celebrated Christmas with present giving and the usual festive cheer, why should we miss out on it?

4

The history of the holiday, which was actually a pagan holiday . . .
.
[historytoday.com]
.
Christmas is used to sell christianity, just like a whole lot more of their paraphernalia - I do not celebrate it, I consider it nothing but one more tool in their long list of tools to gather more sheep.

4

Working with the public for over 2 decades has sucked most of the fun out of it. It's good time to spend with family and friends. I just ignore the religious part of it these days and glad when it's over.

4

I participate in the celebration and ignore the religion.

4

The holiday is a pleasant thought helping and giving to others is not a bad thing getting along together, that's nice sentiments just ignore the religious aspects

4

Enjoy and grateful for the family time. Ignore the reason.

Good answer

@AgnosticJeff truthiness

4

Do not work temporarily job at Walmart garden center during holiday.

Word Level 8 Nov 8, 2019
3

What's to deal with? Ijust live through it.

alon Level 6 Nov 20, 2019
3

I prefer not to, actually. I was married to a Baptist raised Jewish woman, and she celebrated both. So now I'm bah humbugish

3

I like all the bright, shiny things.

No shopping, maybe a string of lights because I like 'em.

3

I see it as any other month.....have to buy presents to all my family because they believe in Christmas and i respect them. But what i do love is the joy in children specially in this month. 🙂

3

Alot of people nowadays realize that Christmas does have anything to do with sky daddy's son. I just see it like a celebratory season, which I love, btw.

3

I will celebtate the winter solstice and look forward to the longer days.
xmas holiday to new year I will work looking after 40 dogs and cats - give or take a few
26th december lunch will, as always, be sausage egg and Yorkshire chips (similar to french fries, but far better) - venison sausage this year. ...... and from 2nd January - relax ... breathe deeply ... and take a holiday

3

I was raised Jewish, so I'd always feel kind of left out this time of year. Ever since I've learned it's mainly co-opted Solstice rituals, I've felt much better... But still, it's the the energy and the stress I pick up from others that bothers me the most, and that people seem to feel a lot more lonely this time of year.

The problem with a lot of American Christians is that they get told that Jews are evil and they automatically just believe it. They wouldn't just like Jewish people earnestly.

@DZhukovin Yup, experienced some anti-Semitism growing up.

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