Purpose of Christmas for you if you're not Christian

[Mayhemmumma]

Struggle with Xmas. I'm not religious so I feel I go to excess and then wonder why?
My husband did not grow up celebrating Christmas at all, so for the past twenty years he's just gone along with it for me and now our children.
Our families are small and hard work, I will make duty visits that no one wants to do and no one will particularly enjoy.
I make a big effort on the day for the children but can't get into the whole Xmas eve box, elf on the shelf, I drag myself to any school events (covids a blessing for me recently) my heart just isn't in it..
I like December, seeing friends and going out that's lovely but I feel increasing pressure for Christmas to be WONDERFUL and it just isn't, at work it's the hardest time as I'm a social worker and there's so much sadness and stress with the families i see, I think it rubs off.

I can't wait for it to be over, I hope my children love their presents and enjoy the nice food but... yeah I'm massively into my overdraft every time and I'm not sure why I do it??

Ps I adore all other school events just not the 'buy a ton of sweets' at various Xmas events thing, and they did three Xmas jumper days?! Kids wanted different outfits! I bought two but resented the money.

Time off work!

Quality time with family, festive traditions, good food and plenty of drink, time off work. It’s just a happy, family-centred time for me personally.

I often wonder this. Same with Easter.

I'm not a Christian but I love Christmas and Hogmanay.

Family, food, tinsel, lights, presents, booze, 3 weeks off work, panto, parties, fireworks, tradition, Santa, magic - the lot.

We try not to go to excess. We explain it to the DC as a time to come together with the people we love in the darkest time of the year. Talk about how it must have been before electricity etc and the shortening and then lengthening of the days. Lights, warmth and giving gifts and spending time with family to make cheerful.
Easter - new life, spring, hope for crops to grow etc.

Family time and food

Before the christians took it over, and made it into Christmas, people had a midwinter celebration - to encourage spring to come again, and to cheer up dark winter months. Granted, we now know spring will definitely come, but I still see the need for a celebration with colour and fun, to cheer up the dark midwinter.

Time off work, school etc
Family activities
Nice food
Pressies
Sparkly stuff
People smiling and wishing you a Merry Christmas

'Same with Easter'

See I love Easter, despite struggling with Christmas. Easter is pretty much free of hype, there's no obligation to do anything family-wise, I get the double bank holiday weekend off (lucky me), it's in the Spring so the days are long even if the weather isn't great, and there's chocolate and hot cross buns everywhere 😊

I hear you OP. I think having an awareness of how soul destroying Christmas is for some people can really impact your own view of it all

Booze and food

Time off work knowing the site is completely shut down so no interruptions or having to think about work at all.

The memories it evokes and general warm fuzzy relaxed feeling (no kids or parents/PIL to visit or host)

Strawberry Quality Street for breakfast

None of the things you mention are Christian as such though, they’re cultural parts of Christmas - Christmas Eve boxes, elf on the shelf, panto etc. The Christian element of Christmas marks the birth of Christ, which you don’t need to do if it doesn’t fit with you. You can make Christmas as low key (or indeed not celebrate) if you don’t want to.

We are Christian so will mark each week of advent, attend church, carol services etc as part of our faith. Feasting, panto, elf on the shelf etc we do because it’s part of the culture around Christmas but we could do perfectly well without them and still celebrate Christmas from a faith perspective.

Culture and tradition

Christmas, Yule, saturnalia etc - a midwinter festival has been pretty ubiquitous in the northern hemisphere for centuries.

Ditto a spring festival - 'Easter' is of course named after an ancient pagan goddess.

Family, food, presents. Time off. Baileys in coffee and walks on the beach. All the puddings with brandy cream. Carols playing on a loop and scented candles. Big fire, blankets, sparkly lights, cat purring on us.

That's pretty much it

I do like the Solstice too, that feeling that the year is turning and we're creeping back towards the light.

Rest, good hearty food and treats, baking, booze, more rest...TV, good films. Dog walks in the cold, home for mince pies....enjoying being with my children who can also relax, enjoy their arts/crafts/gaming. Seeing our families when possible (they're all the other end of the country).
Presents, reaths and sparkly lights....
Basically, batoning down the hatches and indulging, to get through the dark days! We love it, despite a complete lack of religion.

Wreaths!

I count myself as agnostic (possibly atheist), but I’ve learnt to love Christmas again after a few tough years. I love carols, the lights outside houses, the tree, and listening to Classic FM during December. I probably am culturally Anglican.

Holiday, lights, decorations, children's excitement, food, booze

Very low key here. The solstice has always been a time of ritual and celebration, Christians have simply latched onto that, possibly erroneously as I think there is now evidence that the birth of Jesus, if it happened at all, was not in December.

A lot of traditions such as the tree, the wreath and the yule log are from Pagan or similar beliefs.

Personally I like fairy lights, Twiglets and roast parsnips. Very happy to gather with family and friends but no more so than at any other time of year.

I’m atheist after a catholic childhood and I love Christmas but try to keep it simple. I like the connection to nature and the seasons. I like bringing evergreens into the house. Celebrating with food and fire and lights. I love that everyone is in holiday mode (even my friends who work through it as nurses and ambulance driver).
I sink into slow hugge stuff like new books, jigsaws, baking. This is so not me the rest of the year. Then we try to offset with some bracing walks/runs/bike rides/sledging depending on the weather. It’s the only week of the winter we can get outside in daylight.

Christmas as a consumerist cult is shit. Don't feel bad for not buying into it.

However there's a beautiful side to Christmas which can be meaningful to you regardless of whether you're religious or not.

To me it's about the very human need to gather with your loved ones as the year is at its darkest, lighting some lights, and sharing love in the form of comforting food, good company, a few presents, some feel-good songs and stories... And sharing a bit of that temporary domestic bliss outwards too, e.g. by visiting isolated relatives, donating something extra to the food bank, etc.

You don't need to be Christian to appreciate some of the universal (humanistic?) values symbolised by Christmas.

I'm a full time working single mum. Raised cofE, but with no faith.

Xmas is a time to rest, to spend time with ds that doesn't just involve food or school run or homework. A time to relax and do stuff together without pressure.
It's a Godsend