So, how much will you be spending on Christmas when you don't even believe in the virgin birth?
Christians put their holidays on top of existing holidays. Christmas (which doesn't actually correspond to any documented birth of Jesus) falls nearly on the Winter Solstice, and Easter nearly falls on the Spring Equinox. The name Easter also derives from the Germanic goddess Eostre/Eastre, the goddess of spring fertility, but those celebrations were replaced by Christian celebrations during the spread of Christianity.
There's even a verse of Jeremiah 10 (classic OT trashing of surrounding beliefs and cultures, claiming their god is the only real one, tribalism, etc) that criticizes pagans for their decorated trees:
This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. 5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good." 6 No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. 7 Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. 8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. 9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple-- all made by skilled workers. 10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.
But now we call those worthless things "Christmas Trees".
I'm not really a festive person but I think these decorated pagan trees millions of us put up each year are beautiful. I haven't done it in many years but I visit relatives and love their tree, very beautiful. The idea that many Christians view Christmas as entirely their own holiday amuses me a bit.
To the extent that I celebrate "Christmas", a holiday of a religion that is foreign to me, I just think of it as roughly celebrating the Winter Solstice, the December holiday that existed prior to Christianity, and the holiday that is now more of a cultural thing than any religious thing. I don't celebrate Jesus; I celebrate renewal, family, and a time to make beautiful things for the sake of making beautiful things. I would celebrate it on the 21st rather than the 25th if not for the fact that 99% of the people I know use the 25th as the date, so I just roll with this cultural holiday as it is.
I don't like giving or receiving presents because most of it is superficial or consumerist. This year, I'll be buying gifts for four people:
-For my nephew and niece, and I always spend a lot of time picking out the right ones that end up being among their favorite gifts that they use for a long time. Usually it's art stuff or building toys- things that are open-ended and work the brain.
-For my mother, I'll be buying her a specific piece of jewelry that I know she has wanted. It's not very expensive, but it's pretty, and it'll show her that I'm paying attention to what she likes.
-For my bf, I generally try to think of something creative to get him, or I get something that shows him I really understand his interests, or clothes that I'm basically 100% sure he'll like and actually wear. For people like him or my mother, it's an exercise in showing people that I know them, that I want them to be happy and am getting them a small token that shows my affection. I have family members that in the past have routinely demonstrated that they don't know me, because they get me clothes that are not my style at all (sometimes with the intention of pushing me to that style, like I dressed not very girly in high school so they'd buy me girly stuff that I didn't wear), or get me unhealthy food stuff when they should know I'm a picky health nut. Gifts like that are just gifts for the sake of giving gifts, for a sense of obligation, for consumerism. Back when they made those cinnamon tic tac mints, my mother once bought me a
ton of cinnamon tic tacs because she knew I loved them. She has basically no money and it was a cheap gift that basically just said, "I see you, I know you". That kind of gift blows the others away, imo.
-I'll send a few cards to other people, that's it. So it'll come out to a couple hundred bucks, total.
Another question, are you able to pay for your health insurance you are now required to purchase before the first of the year?
Most people's health insurance wasn't affected. Mine is the same as before.
