I voted "no", merely because the option I might have chosen was unavailable.
It's hardly a secret nor a historically hidden accounting to readily observe that Christian beliefs, long ago, have repeatedly claimed pagan observances and "celebrations" as errant Christian 'beliefs".
Facts are less unbiased, and quite clear. Virtually NO religious scholar nor any secular historian would clim with absolute certainty that a prophet named "Jesus" was "born" on Dec. 25th. No one knows with any specificity or certainty. NO ONE.
Yet, and before we all toss out such an observance with the bathwater, allow us all to at least acknowledge the actual sentiment and cause for such a "holiday". The notion of compassion, sharing, giving, sharing, generosity, and caring are hardly bound or tied one whit to religious beliefs, or that is my own hope. If giving a damn about the entirety of the human condition is bound solely to religious affiliations or beliefs alone...well.
As both a secularist and strident unbeliever (as defined) by any organized religion, My everlasting hope remains that people maintain the priorities of compassion and caring for others above any and all religious implications/beliefs. Whether your brand of mythology is grounded in a story two, four, or more millennia old, in the end...we're still just people. Religion comes and goes. People of need/want/hopes will remain until the extinction of our species.
WE "celebrate" the "spirit" of Christmas in that vein, and hope that others might do so in that understanding.
