Why do you celebrate Xmas?

[CoffeeTeaCoffee]

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

I posted this last year in answer to a similar question.

A northern European winter is cold, dark and relentless enough without the promise that the sun will one day return. "It's why we made up Christmas night."

We celebrate Yule rather than Christmas.

I consciously try to eschew any overtly Christian traditions associated with it, but for practical purposes we usually have our day of feasting on the 25th, although last year it was on the 1st of January due to working away.

We don't visit anyone on the 25th, but go & deliver presents, home made mince pies & preserves to various friends & rellies during the weeks before.

Some years we hold a party around the 21st to celebrate the solstice.

The 25th is just for us & the kids, though we sometimes have others over to stay, we have a continental or full english breakfast, I cook up a feast, aided by fruity cider, that we eat around 5pm, then exchange presents in the evening.

That's beautiful @MasterBeth. Made me well up.

Tim Minchin always summed up my feelings about Christmas rather well:

Even if it's more mulled wine on the sofa than white wine in the sun here!

I celebrate the pagan festival of Yule which is where almost all of the familiar Christmas traditions originate such as the tree, mistletoe, candles, yule logs, holly and ivy, decorations, feasting and drinking and even Father Christmas himself. There really is no difference except we don't have a Christian slant to the festivities. Mind you, I personally don't know many people that do actively celebrate it as a Christian festival, except perhaps to rock up to midnight mass after a few drinks!

We don't.

We're brainwashed since birth as everyone is that Chistmas Day is 25th December and you need to send presents and cards and put up decorations etc.

Decided several years back to not partipate in this fairytale anymore, that causes so.much stress and expense and unhappiness.

We don't send cards buy presents or put Dec's up
Very liberating.

Just celebrate your birthday instead.

I want presents.

I use it as a time for self care.
My Christmases are quiet and relaxing. I love the food, decorations, seeing family.
I don't get all worked up about it, or plan for weeks in advance. I just see it as a few days to unwind and relax in the midst of winter. I plan ahead for my garden, order seeds and plants online.

Because as a Roman Catholic, it's expected to celebrate the birth of Christ 🤷‍♀️ The gifts, the Christmas tree, dinner, family, bonhomie are all an extension of that.
The UK remains a Christian country, with a strong history of Catholicism being the religion of this country.

We're brainwashed since birth as everyone is that Chistmas Day is 25th December and you need to send presents and cards and put up decorations etc.

Decided several years back to not partipate in this fairytale anymore, that causes so.much stress and expense and unhappiness.

Are all traditions we're brought up with necessarily 'brainwashing'? Not everyone feels that way. Some people love it.

I’d rather not.

I am not brain washed into anything. We do Christmas our way.

I love to celebrate for celebrations sake to be honest.

I’ll make a big deal of birthdays, Valentines, Easter, Christmas, Halloween, New Year…I’ll even celebrate thanksgiving and cook American Southern Style cuisine with biscuits, sausage gravy and cornbread.

Why? Because life is short, generally stressful and we spend so much time working and paying bills, so why not enjoy everything special about life that you can?

Does everything have to truly mean something culturally or religiously? Or can we just make excuses to add a bit of love, happiness and magic to our lives, take the opportunity to spend time with family, eat good food, spoil yourself and others and have a bit of fun.

I want presents.

🤣 I love this answer.

AcclimDD you are rather mistaken. The UK is officially no longer a Christian country, less than 50% of the population are of that belief.

Historically the country may have had a lot of Catholic influences but not now. Even a quick skim through this thread shows that very many people are celebrating Yule, midwinter or a very secular Christmas. Time we changed the name and dropped the christ.

Much of what people do, the wreath, the tree, the lights, has origins far earlier than an established Christmas. Those of a religious persuasion should, however, have their beliefs respected alongside everyone else's.

In the middle of a dark, cold and wet season it's something to look forward to and see family and friends I almost never see, make the house look nice and feel like life is magical and worth living.

Tbh I don't think I'd celebrate Christmas as much as I do if it were in the middle of summer.

X

I'm not religious but I celebrate it because I get time off work and it's a nice excuse to have a little party, see family and friends, eat yummy food and drinks, do fun things. Makes me appreciate winter a bit more than I otherwise would. We have our first baby on the way as well so that will be another reason!

I love the feeling that I'm carrying on the family traditions of my parents and grandparents (that I remember doing as a child), that they no doubt got from their parents and grandparents (though I'm sure much gets changed along the way).

And it helps us through the cold dark season with cheer, and is a set time when everyone in the family will make the effort to meet up.

I also like to think of all the centuries back long before christianity when people on these isles would have done something to mark the longest winter nights, and feel that I am part of that too somehow.

For Suntee Klaas.

Family mainly
See my sisters and their families on Christmas day ,and my mother and it is just such a fab day
Also Christmas lunches / nights out with friends

The UK is a Christian country? Really? Something like 5% of the population attend church regularly apparently. I wouldn't call that a Christian country.

Having a wedding in a church then not going near it again until the babies are baptised then not stepping foot inside again apart from funerals does not count as Christian.

Edit history is visible. If you don't want people to read what you originally put you'd need to message mn and ask for your post to be deleted

BerthaFlapjack while the UK is undoubtedly a multi-faith/ethnically diverse country, factually Christianity is the largest religion in the UK. CoE remains the 'state' church of the largest UK country-England.

I was raised in a church going family, I sang in choir - old school C of E with Latin and everything. I still love church at Christmas - I go to midnight mass , I have a nativity - I am agnostic now but my eldest daughter is a Christian - so the Jesus bit is quite important to us. I love carols as well.

I also like the other stuff people have mentioned, being together as a family, enjoying nice food, twinkly lights, a real tree, wine and presents!

I also get two weeks off work which is bliss - gives me chance to recharge and all 3 girls will be here - 2 coming back from Uni.

Grew up with it and it’s a statutory holiday.

Truth be told it’s usually just DP and I, so celebrating means exchanging presents. We sometimes cook a roast but don’t always bother.

Culture and Tradition.

Christmas as a feast and fun and family in the middle of winter.. it’s part of our year.

Love the tree (real) and decorations from 3 generations, collected and passed down.

Sharing our favourite foods.

Thinking about peace and joy and fellowship: the cultural aspects of being ‘culturally’ Christian though actually an atheist.