If you are an Atheist or an Agnostic do you celebrate Christmas?
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My Birthday is on March the 20th, you're welcome to celebrate it even if it's not your birthday that day. You might not be one of the lucky few who gets a specific personal invite but I won't object if you raise a glass in my name.
I've found that Mulsims have been happy to invite others to celebrate Eid with them, I've enjoyed Divali and Chinese New Year festivals despite being neither Chinese or Hindi. When I visited a friend in Florida I cheered for the Miami Hurricanes along with him despite caring not a jot for American Football.
Christians seem happy enough to adopt Pagan yuletide traditions and secular customs. What is a celebration if you can't share it with others?
It is for these reasons I'm happy to attend a school nativity play or a church carol service despite not being a Christian. Moreover calling the present giving, bringing greenery and lights into the house or feasting with family part of Christmas doesn't suddenly make them religious in nature. Christmas is just a name, like Wednesday or January. Yes, they're named after gods but so what? Christmas is just what people in Western Europe do this time of year. Some of it relates to Christ and I'm fine with that. Some of it doesn't and for me, those are the best bits.
MattHardy
Level 7
Dec 27, 2018
1
I think there is a difference between one celebrating Christmas and visiting people who do celebrate that festival and other festivals too. However, if you bring a Christmas tree into your house and place gifts under the tree; if you decorate your house etc. etc; then you are celebrating a Christian festival. I don't think you are celebrating Christmas if you send a Christmas card to someone who does celebrate it. They know you don't so they will probably send you a "Season's Greeting" card or just a "New Year" card.
In England, at that time, particularly in schools, Christmas was a big thing. Even though I kept my children out of Christian assemblies, (all Christian, at that time) I knew their peers were preparing for a celebration. I didn't want my children to miss out on an exciting time for youngsters. They never did! At the same time we were all being creative (with our Star Day activities)and learning about our wonderful universe and our earth, not being immersed in the myths and legends of old.
Larika
Level 4
Dec 26, 2018
1
We never felt the need to have our kids avoid Nativity stuff. It’s part of the UK. It has very little religious meaning. A bit like Christmas Carols, lovely songs in themselves.
@Regburns I was a teacher and I cam assure you that at that time "nativity stuff" was extremely meaningful. It was the birth of Jesus, a very important time of the year in schools. It was a Christian festival. I know today, perhaps it is not as meaningful. My grandchild's nativity involved aliens! I would agree that Christmas today is seen as a more cultural event by many, many people, but in my day it was a religious festival. I still think of it that way. In my mind it is a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus, who is part of the Trinity. I was brought up a Christian and in my childhood Christmas was a religious festival.
@Larika our 50 year old children always enjoyed their nativity stuff, but I think much of it was around the birth of Jesus, the one who laid the first Easter egg. It was Christian, but they never really had any religious education as dogma, more comparative studies. My 16 year old grandson has also enjoyed nativity stuff, but has no real comprehension of the meanings. I take the view that understanding Christianity leads to seeing it as myth.
I celebrate the happiness of my family at a time when everyone else sees that that is the most important thing. Also to cheer myself up in dark winter months just as the pagans did.
Mcflewster
Level 8
Dec 25, 2018
3
Of course...as a holiday and a time to give gifts to all my friends and family. I love it....no religion involved except singing carols with my choir which I enjoy because they are great musically.
Marionville
Level 10
Dec 25, 2018
4
Not really. It is a Happy Sir Isaac Newton Birthday for me?
Zaphod_B
Level 3
Dec 25, 2018
0
Yes, on a completely secular basis. I love it.
KevinTwining
Level 7
Dec 25, 2018
2
99% on here are .I like celebrating with family, an excuse for food , drink and to give gifts.
Xanadutoo
Level 7
Dec 25, 2018
2
True most are having a celebration but it's not celebrating Christmas, the supposed Birthday of Christ. Most are, like me celebrating our Universe during the dark month of December. They celebrate the Winter Solstice. I'm surprised that some sing carols, most carols are religious. I actually invented a Festival I called Star Day. Both my husband and I decided as we were not religious and Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, we wouldn't celebrate it. So I invented a festival for my children. I called it Star Day. The children loved it. We all dressed up in Space costumes and the children decorated their rooms as spaceships. I made each child a large sphere for their presents to be opened on Star Day. Star Day period began on the 21st Dec-- the Winter Solstice. Each day until the 25th(Star Day) a small sphere would be dropped with a little gift inside, culminating in the children opening their large sphere on Star Day. I encouraged the children to make up their own poems and songs and write about our wonderful universe. (I still have the lovely books they made} For decorations, we decorated the rest of the house with gold and silver stars. To this day my children celebrate Star Day with their families.
@Larika I have no problem with folks enjoying any music, carols etc but believing in a god I do have .I am as far away from any clebration of the universe ,solstice or whatever as I am religion .If someone wants to give give a holiday and have fun then any reson is OK with me.I would not tell my children why we celebrate Christmas or not to beleive in a god incase it might cause bullying at school.They will ascertain from their parents actions and morals what they want to believe .I would not give them a substitute reason for Christmas.What was the purpose of Star day?
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