Desert Snake
Veteran Member
I made a thread about this, turns out many Xians don't really think Xmas is Xian at all.
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Athiests what do you do at Christmas
- Thread starter England my lionheart
- Start date
Sure, but consider that someone had to ask what atheists do on Christmas day, where did that come from?
Nada
#
Bingo!
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
I celebrate xmas because other people do, I've worked many a Xmas, it's very minimal for me. So, I 'celebrate' it by default, not because I'm making some effort to.
Monk Of Reason
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
I celebrate it in the traditional way that the ancients such as Mosses would have celebrated the yuletide. I strip naked and sacrifice the prettiest of my goats. Then I burn it on altar.
I'm a little sad about Christmas this year. For the first time in my life I can't just go home. My Mom moved to a retirement community. Doug has family around here so I'm sure we'll hang out with them. But Christmas at home has been a part of my life forever and now it's gone. Sigh
Tom
Tom
gsa
Well-Known Member
Not an atheist but not a Christian either. I visit with relatives and family. I don't decorate for Christmas or celebrate it religiously in any way. If I had my way I would probably fuse it with New Years and just celebrate that as a gift giving opportunity, although frankly I also don't much care for the exchange idea. And I don't celebrate Easter at all anymore.
I consider it an almost wholly secular holiday for those who are "culturally Christian" by operation of birth. Pew is instructive as well: I'm in that ten percent or so who attend gatherings and buy gifts, but I do not put up a tree, attend religious services (I will if asked to because an extended, usually Catholic, family member wants it), send cards, do anything related to Santa and I have never, to my knowledge, gone caroling. Sometimes I will listen to Christmas music, although the vast majority of it is secular in nature.
And I do nothing for Easter. That one seems to have fallen out of favor rather quickly, once ripped from the religious context.
I consider it an almost wholly secular holiday for those who are "culturally Christian" by operation of birth. Pew is instructive as well: I'm in that ten percent or so who attend gatherings and buy gifts, but I do not put up a tree, attend religious services (I will if asked to because an extended, usually Catholic, family member wants it), send cards, do anything related to Santa and I have never, to my knowledge, gone caroling. Sometimes I will listen to Christmas music, although the vast majority of it is secular in nature.
And I do nothing for Easter. That one seems to have fallen out of favor rather quickly, once ripped from the religious context.
Cephus
Relentlessly Rational
Most don't. Christmas has been a secular holiday for a long time, it isn't about Jesus, it's about Santa Claus and presents and getting together with your family. Just because it once was primarily about religious subjects doesn't mean that it is anymore. It's secular and most people, even Christians, celebrate it that way.
Monk Of Reason
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Sorry to hear that. It is always difficult around the holidays when we remember those we lost or the passing of the times.
Growing up my family had a strong patriarch in my great grandfather. He hosted all of the events for Christmas, Easter, ect. The only thing we didn't celebrate together was Halloween. Even 4th of July was hosted by him on his farm. When he went to the nursing home and died my Grandmother (his daughter) tried to fill the role but the family drifted apart. I haven't seen any of my cousins, uncles or aunts in five years. I know how you feel.
SkepticThinker
Veteran Member
I get together with my family and spoil them with gifts and food.
JerryL
Well-Known Member
That's partially because the original Christians ("Followers of the Way") didn't consider his birth important. It was the sacrifice of the messiah that was considered the message.
John seems to have started to bring the birth to prominence (his is the only gospel to go into detail).
Obviously the 25th of Dec was chosen to co-opt a couple of Roman sun-god birthdays (Mithras and the celebration of the Saturnalia). The Romans screwed up (or the calendars have altered since) and believed the 25th to be the solstice.
Cephus
Relentlessly Rational
The Romans didn't screw up, Saturnalia was a long celebration and the early Christians picked the last day of the celebration as the day to co-opt for Jesus' supposed birth.
JerryL
Well-Known Member
The festival of natalis Invicti [Birth of the Unconquerable (Sun)], was held on 25 December
Cephus
Relentlessly Rational
Which is exactly what it is. Some choose to attach religious meaning to it, but I've yet to see anyone who treats it as a wholly religious holiday.
I am not an atheist, but my mother was one when I was a child and we had Christmas trees, presents, etc. at Christmastime. 