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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 (101 - 125)

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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. 🙄

0

I try to see my Mom and my Aunts. I don't have a lot of family left. I see friends too. That's what it's about for me, seeing good and important people in my life. I like the Winter Solstice as well. It can be lonely and depressing too. It's not my favorite time of year.

Stenz Level 6 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
3

I don't put up any decorations, I don't send cards, I don't give any presents, .....if a fool gives me a present I say..."thank you"

3

I hole up from mid-November until mid-January. Can't stand the commercial-capitalist hype or phony good cheer any more than I can the religious bullshit.

1

Christmas??? Do you mean the Winter Solstice?

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
3

If I do any decorating at all, it is simply Winter Season themed decorations.

I buy gifts for my grand kids and do the "white elephant" gift exchange with my daughters and sons-in-law.

I have dinner with my family. And, when they pray, I close my eyes and go "lalalalalalalalalala..." in my head until it is over 🙂.

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.

0

I canceled all holidays 30 years ago when my wife refused to send Xmas cards to business contacts I felt obligated to mail this nonsense. From then on we always travel on holidays, leaving no forwarding address. This year leaving Nov 30, returning Feb 11. Holidays are subtle way consumerism forces us to buy rubber duckies no one needs or wants. Taking a trip is much better then causing a living plant to be cut, destroyed, placed in our homes where it make a mess. Some pay back catching on fire and killing the unweary. Next it is on the street presenting danger to motorists. Food? Who need the extra calories??? In our culture X mas time is called "home slaughter time". Most stressful time of the year when relatives kill each other under the tree. The Xmas is remembered for month, sometimes years when we write that check to the credit card. Not for me. I believe that we have evolved.

3

I don't deal with it at all.

Time is precious and that's easily observable by anyone with enough brains.

Being forced to deal with Christmas is the adoption of being punished for making a reasonable deduction on what to do in the Christmas epoch. I won't pretend like it's sensible to get into the business of being instinctive and generally just primitive by doing what other people are doing because of the need to affirm society's pre-concieved, solipsistic notion of what is right for me to do.

Things like Christmas are taken with skepticism by me because they're a way to create informational conformity, which is usually the start of despotism, fascism, and other very authoritarian systems.

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.

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

7

I love Christmas! I like pointing out that it is a pagan holiday and many are surprised by this. So I don't feel apprehensive about the holidays at all.

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.

5

I deal with it with by listening to the Transiberian Orchestra, mint fudge, repeat viewings of Nightmare Before Christmas & The Grinch, & lots of eggnog!

3

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... 😨😨😨😰😰😰😦😦😦😵😵😭😭😭😫😫😫🐂🐂🐂💩💩

2

I mostly ignore the whole show to varying degrees, depending on my mood in a given year. Looking way beyond the usual carols and such, there is, admittedly, some fine holiday related Renaissance music that I love - but I can listen to that any time of year !

I abhor going into the riotous stores after Thanksgiving - for any purpose. Not much of a shopper anyway. And I've convinced my Sister and her gang up north, to cease with presents.

I do however sometimes send out secular cards, mostly because I miss letters, and handwriting, and it's fun to hear from folks. And there are some homes in the neighborhood, that go ape-shit with lights , so doing a drive-by is sometimes amusing. Other than that - "baa, humbug !"

4

I celebrate Saturnalia..simple.

3

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

The end of December was celebrated long before Chritianity reared its ugly head. It was the winter solstice and the renewal of all things. We in our family celebrate and give gifts at xmas time because "it pleases us".

5

Eat too much, drink too much, spend too much on the grandkids, hug my family a lot and just have a great time. You say there's some religious component? God bless the cook!

4

Being in a warm climate helps. Since I seldom go to malls I just ignore the maniacal commercialism.

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

I like all the bright, shiny things.

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

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