Any Atheist families here celebrate Christmas?

[samwisefoxburr]

...My parents went to church when they were young but they became Atheists when they saw the hypocrisy, and as a result I was fortunate enough to be born and raised an Atheist as well as my three brothers. But we still celebrate Christmas, but of course it is all commercialized and completely about giving and receiving presents and being with family. The real kicker though is that I converted to Satanism about 3-4 years ago.

Any other Atheist families celebrate Christmas? What about ones who don't celebrate Christmas, what do you do during the holidays? Funny thing is that I didn't realize how ironic me celebrating Christmas is (even if it is only the commercialized version) until this year.

[wryter2000]

1. Sure

I hate all the work, though.

My husband starts playing Christmas music after Thanksgiving. We put up a tree (I have one in a pot we bring in the house and decorate every year). We swap presents and send out cards and have a special meal.

I'd rather skip the whole thing and just have a day off, my-own-self. :evilgrin:

[Bjornsdotter]

2. We do...

....Santa visits every year!

In our family Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with Jesus.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[Maple]

3. It's Sir Isaac Newton's birthday

So I celebrate that.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Not an atheist, but I don't celebrate

Christmas.

[DrWeird]

5. Yup.

I still celebrate Halloween even though I don't believe in ghosts and goblins. I still celebrate Christmas even though I don't believe in the Bible. I still celebrate the 4th of July, even though I no longer believe in America.

[sybylla]

12. Me too

Hadn't thought of the last one til I read your post. Made me sad. But it's true.

on edit: the act of bringing a tree into your house and decorating it is pagan. The bible specifically bans it.

[Worst Username Ever]

6. I wouldn't even say that Christmas is a christian holiday anymore.

It is more of a symbolic time to get together with those you care about. And oh yeah demonstrate your good old American consumerism :puke:

[kayell]

7. Yes, but as a secular family holiday.

We don't attach the religious meaning, but I enjoy decorating the tree, the stockings, making presents, and cooking like a fiend. Most of the holidays origins are pagan, and I have occasional animist/pagan leanings - earth worship type stuff.

And I play enough celtic holiday music to push everyone I know right over the edge. LOL

[Sabriel]

8. Same here. But I'm atheist, partner is not.

To me, it's a family celebration, not a religious holiday. As far as I'm concerned, let's NOT "Put the Christ back in Xmas"....

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

9. I'm curious. What made you start believing in a supernatural entity?

And such an odd one at that?

Edit: I celebrate Christmas secularly, like many of the other posters. Meet family. Celebrate. Exchange gifts.

[samwisefoxburr]

13. You mean me converting to Satanism?

Satanists are basically atheists with dogma and rituals. Anton LaVey created The Church of Satan in 1966 and then published The Satanic Bible in 1969. He created modern Satanism because he saw the hypocrisy in Christians. We don't believe in God, Satan, Heaven, or Hell, or any other supernatural force.

So it was very easy converting.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. Hehehe. The Let's Get People Pissed Off Club.

You've chutzpah, I gotta admit.

[Djinn]

10. yes and no

my family is a mix of atheists and agnostics - we celebrate on the 25th of Dec (because it's a public holiday) but there is no mention of or reference to Jesus/God.

Some Christians have told me this is hypocritical and I like to point out that that time of year was celebrated LONG before the alledged birth of Jesus and the advent of Christianity. Scholars agree that the chances of Jesus being born in Dec are minute. Christians usurped the pagan tradition of the winter solstice and took over a bunch of traditions that have nothing to do with Christianity for example: Yule logs, caroling, gift giving, feasting and "Christmas" trees.

Throughout history people all over the world have celebrated at this time of year - it's not owned by Christians - they actually don't even have a very good claim to the lease! There's no more irony to YOU celebrating at this time than for Christians celebrating at solstice, or at the Babylonian feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) or the many other celebrations that happen to be at this time of the year.

[NNadir]

11. Christmas was the Christianization of the Saturnian Festivals.

It actually has very little to do with religion and everything to do with the Solstice. It was moved a few days by early Christians (after Constantine's conversion) to give a fig leaf to the notion that the feast was not in fact Pagan.

I celebrate Christmas with my kids and I am an atheist.

[Caria]

15. Sure, as a celebration of family and friends

We do the tree, presents, and big dinner. And I've started telling my daughter Christian & Jewish tales as well as Greek myths, etc. I figure she needs to know them in order to get literary references, etc.

[LiberteToujours]

16. Of course

Christmas is a corporate circle-jerk, anyone who thinks it has anything to do with religion is living in the 1800s. The best part is that the corporations and the religious are on the same side. Fuck em all.

[lojasmo]

17. I'm an athiest, wife is wiccan

we do it for the boy. Of course he (8) doesn't believe in santa or jesus or any of that claptrap.