To those of you who don't believe in Jesus Christ or the Christian religion, do you still celebrate Christmas?
Yes, though I can't say it's my first choice.
Oddly enough, the religious aspect of it isn't what bothers me. I'd gladly go to Divine Liturgy or Midnight Mass with John if he were so inclined, since the Christian liturgical tradition is so well-developed that I can appreciate it regardless of my disbelief. However, he comes from a Baptist/Pentecostal background, and I don't do those kinds of churches. He doesn't care, because he's all about the "Me and Jesus got our own thing going" kind of Christianity, and only goes to church on rare occasions, and then mainly to please his mother or grandmother.
I'm about to give up railing against the commercialism of Christmas, though, because I think what
really bothers me is the high level of expectation. There's so much pressure for it to be "the happiest time of the year" that the whole thing just wears me out.
Because it pleases my husband and my mother. Both of them
love Christmas.
We don't have an overtly religious Christmas, though, except that my father, at my parents' house, and John's father, at their house, will always offer a prayer reminding everybody that Jesus is the reason for the season. Then we have our orgy of food and gifts.
Our Christmas works like this:
Christmas Eve, early afternoon: My family.
Christmas Eve, evening: Friends.
Christmas morning: His family.
It's not bad, really. It's kind of like a long trip out of town. I'm glad I went, but I'm glad to be home, too.