Why do you celebrate Xmas?

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Why do you celebrate Xmas or what does it mean to you? Especially if you are not religious?

Cause winter in rural Scotland would be very bleak without it.

I must say most of people's responses has me very surprised! I've given "Christmas" much thought over the past couple of years and how people get caught up in the hype, especially so early, and how as soon as the day itself is done there's this enormous cultural rush to get it all put away and forget about. It's this but I struggle with most, and would love to see it more widely accepted that this special time be extended a little longer and not so commercialised.

I love Christmas lights, decorating the house, the food and spending time with our family.

I love the weeks leading up to it, meeting up with friends for Christmas lunches and drinks.

I love buying presents especially for the children.

Religion doesn't come into it at all. I don't even give it a second thought, in my mind the Christmas we enjoy has nothing to do with religion.

Something to look forward to in what what otherwise be a very long and bleak stretch of the year.
This.

I agree with others who have said they enjoy it as a winter festival.

I'm not religious, but I do quite like some of the Christian aspects - the carols, the Nativity. It feels nice to carry on a tradition even if I don't really believe in it, Christmas is the one time of year I sort of wish I did.

I get on well with my family and my husband's so it's lovely that everyone makes the effort to travel and be together for Christmas dinner and presents. It feels like we are all in a cozy little bubble for a couple of days.

I think the tradition of having a tree to decorate and having pretty lights etc is comforting during the dark cold period of winter and I can see why it predates Christmas. We have a decoration from my great grandparents tree which is nice for remembering earlier generations doing the same thing.

Basically it's nice having something to look forward to. I'd celebrate Yule or Hogmanay (I'm Scottish) just as happily if Christmas wasn't there.

I celebrate the festival of winter and I enjoy my annual leave

It’s nice to take time out and be with people I love. We enjoy some of the traditions and have fun. Definitely don’t care about the religious stuff.

I have positive associations with it and enjoy the festivity

Because I live in a country that hypes it up so much that you couldn’t not. Well I couldn’t not, or my family would be disappointed etc. I find the whole run up to Christmas stressful and all so expensive. If I moved to a country that didn’t celebrate Christmas I’d be very happy to ignore it.

Time to come together as a family who live miles apart, time to be grateful for all we have/who we have, time to show how much we love each other. Brightens up the dark winter.

It’s a cultural tradition that I’ve been raised with shared with the society I’ve been raised in.

The winter solstice has always been celebrated in some form in the UK. Currently it is in the form of Christmas, a mix of religious and older traditions along with our modern day slant.

The last three years have been difficult for our family due to a bereavement and some ill health falling over the Xmas and new year period. This year is going to be a bittersweet experience because of that.

Because a joyful festival in the dark season is vital to human mood and Christmas is brilliant.

To me, Christmas is a celebration of family. Its almost like it's every family members birthday, but better! The family traditions we have that go back years, remind us of our grandparents and great grandparents. I can still see them all sitting round the dinner table with their paper hats on. We talk about them "Remember that xmas when Grandad X knocked the xmas tree over" And imagine it will be the same for our DCs, when are older. It ties families together, because some things about Christmas, in our family at least, have never changed.

Our Christmas is more like Yule, so like others have said we celebrate it as a winter festival, it’s a time for family to get together, eat, drink, give gifts and show our appreciation to one another and that also involves decorating a tree and enjoying the magic of it all. It helps brighten up the cold dark nights and brings some extra joy to everyone.

Like many previous posters what I celebrate is the winter solstice. The few decorations we have reflect that and are mostly greenery from our garden.

Of course it is important that children experience Christmas culturally but not necessarily religiously. For better or for worse it is ingrained into our culture. As long as it is presented as "some people believe" rather than as fact then I don't see any harm. Even the children of my Druid friends have a form of Christmas.

Anyway, who doesn't love a string of fairy lights?

Because I’m religious but really because it forces my family into one house (a lot are in jobs where we all live far away from each other and don’t get time to travel). Plus the sparkle, the warmth, the community, midnight mass on Christmas Eve with hums being sung, Christmas morning and it’s just a day where you know it’s going to be chaos and warmth and good tv and food!! Oops yes the food!!!

Now my son is older we don't celebrate as such, but we're all home more (due to school break) so take it as time to relax, eat nice food, appreciate what we have.

I don't celebrate Christmas anymore as there is no reason to here. My parents (who loved it), are now dead and DD is an adult and works over Christmas so we don't exchange gifts until she comes to visit in January. December 25th also happens to be my birthday so, since 2020, that is what gets solely celebrated here. I still find it very odd that I'm not handing out gifts on my birthday (me and DP exchange ours on Christmas Eve now instead), but I'm sure I'll get used to it. 😁

I suppose just however I feel. Usually have a nice meal and acknowledging that I got through another year. It's nice in the midst of winter. Fairy lights are pleasant. Mince pies are good. And perhaps greatest of all, I am reminded that I don't have to be around my fucking family.

It's fun. We like decorating the house, I love having a day to spoil my children rotten and I really really love the food.
Then I love snuggling up on the sofa with my kids as we're drowsy from eating too much!

We aren’t a Christian country anymore. Less than 50% of the country identified themselves as Christian in the 2021 census. And a healthy proportion of those will have used “Christian” to mean “christened”.

from the looks of this thread we’re majority pagan now!

I had a religious upbringing, Christmas was a time for huge celebration, decorating, fun, lots of family all around and games.

DH had a non religious upbringing and Christmas was a roast, a chill out day, sweets and a present or two.

Christmas for our DC is how I had it but with a bit less family around.
I still get excited about Christmas!

I like to celebrate at midwinter because otherwise its a cold, dark time. I love that it brings people together. I love all the special food. I like that its one of the few times when my job will be totally offline and so when i return after christmas there isn't a pile of stuff to greet me. I love that my children are excited and happy.

Exactly this.

Not everyone is off work together. As a nurse, I can't take any leave over Christmas. It sucks for many of us.