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.

I ignore the religious mythology. I do participate in gift exchanges and enjoy time with the family. If anyone starts a discussion on the mythology side of it, I excuse myself and go to the bathroom.

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!

solstice party

I say happy holidays (work retail so I have been dealing with christmas since freaking September). I use to go somewhere (travel) but my dad is getting older so I cook for him & friends (that is my gift).

I tend to agree along the lines of most here that I personally quietly enjoy the time with friends and family, eating drinking and being merry. Sure.

But all the social conventions and crazed hub-bub around it - that is taxing. I don't do cards (and expect none), but have lost an acquaintance over it. She felt snubbed when she didn't receive a card from me, though we saw each other regularly throughout the year. Differing priorities, I suppose.

Maniacal shopping, competing schedules and events, feeling gross the next day after too much eggnog, the lights, the sights, the noise. I really don't have the patience for all that.

And being in NYC, the tourists. Floods of them, like army ants, getting in the way while the rest of us try to get somewhere...

So, I deal with the conventions as best I can and feel relieved right after New Years.

Climbing into the tree and knocking ornaments off it is a load of fun, though.

I just do Christmas old American style. We are not dwelling in deep theological issues on it, the tree is pretty and smells nice, it makes my kids happy, and of course we all love presents. I don't care how silly it is, and as far as Christmas greetings, I don't think about it -- I do know that when I am talking to people who speak different languages I try to give greetings, thank yous and such in their language, especially if they are equally polite. As long as a Christian is going to be polite to me, I will be polite back.

I don't celebrate Xmas much, but I like this joke:

"Celebrating Xmas without believing in god is like having sex without wanting children. You do it because it's fun!"

I mostly ignore it. I don't decorate. I switch to a radio station that does not play much xmas music. My "usual" station starts playing it 24/7 next week. My concession to the season and the grand children is to make a xmas tree quilt that I do need to finish very soon. That is seasonal as well as useful. My family does a gift exchange, and we will get together on xmas day for the holiday celebration as well as granddaughter's birthday.

The christians co-opted most of the fun stuff from other cultures that were observing Solstice.

It is a fun time.

I love Christmas! I just leave all the religious stuff out. I have a real tree, a grinch doll for my angel, no creche just a Norman Rockwell light up town. I love the movies, the cartoons just about everything.

No religion is require to celebrate any holiday. It is a day to exchange gifts with family and friends.

Us guys us gals do whatever we please 365 & .26 days per year....looks like you want to save money not buying shitty little toys for all your favorite cousins nephews nieces....so don't.....xmas is sometimes fun bullshit like Halloween....beware Easter boy bunnies laying candy eggs on dogshit lawns.....Festivus was invented by Seinfeld and Kwanzaa is an invented American celebration of certain African ideals......go ahead and cut a tiny Solstice Conifer or dig a little one into a pot and grow it in your place...make decoration with popcorn needle&thread....arrange xmas lights onto a board in the pattern of the American Atheist ORBIT symbol and put it in your window....have fun and don't lie to Virginia THERE IS NO Santa claus....get along and say PastaFarian Greetings to the REASON4the SEASON delusionals

I just enjoy the good and getting together with family and friends and ignore all the religious aspects.

We call it, "A tradition" and a good reason to get the family (what's left of it) together. Nobody bakes a birthday cake for Jesus.

I wish people a Merry Yule or Solstice, depending on my mood. I decorate my apartment with mini Yule trees and drink eggnog. I buy one gift for the gift exchange at work. I really like a very calm, peaceful holiday.

It all originated as celebrations of the return of the sun in the northern hemisphere anyway.

I would ignore the religious side of it, and use these sayings "Tis the season for reason", merry winter solstice, reasons greetings, happy winter solstice, and spend alot of money if I had alot.and stuff some stockings with atheist books and videos.

I spend my time with my close friends... It's a fun time of year...

Since nearly everyone in my life finds it significant, I have little choice but to grin & bear it. Really the toughest part is the music. All else is cake by comparison.

Just enjoy it . Have a few drinks good food .

No need to include religion in the holidays. It’s a time to enjoy and have fun with family and friends. To show kindness and caring to others. And to eat, and eat some more. Then go on a diet. I’m full already just thinking about it.

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.

Americans are actually celebrating Pagan Saturnalia/Generic solstice festival rebranded as Christian through a tortuous series of events throughout history. I just enjoy the time off work and don’t take it all too seriously.

This podcast goes into a lot of detail about it And is pretty entertaining

[pointofinquiry.org]

I feel you!!!! I absolutely HATE Christmas. Partly because it was never a HAPPY TIME for me as a child. We were always threatened with no presents and surprised if there was any. This was a sick mind game my Mother Dearest got pleasure in.

As a parent, I played along to make my children happy and to ensure they would never have the disappointment of getting nothing.

As an Agnostic adult I loathe this time of the year. The in your face decorations and the friggin music pisses me off. I am actually looking for a t-shirt (I live in Hawaii) that says "FUCK XMAS"

I also count the days until the bullshit is over and get on with my life.

I can enjoy the gift giving without any of the religiosity. That said, it's only my 3rd favorite holiday behind Thanksgiving and Halloween.