Christmas as an athiest

[Bleakmidwinter1977]

Those of you who are celebrating Christmas, but don't consider yourself to be Christian...just wondering why you do, and what parts you opt out of/in to?

Asking as I'm interested, not because I have an opinion either way.

I celebrate the ending of the shortest day and the beginning of a new year, it's all about appreciating the seasons and new beginnings for me.
Christmas was originally a pagan festival before the Christians appropriated it anyway.

We don't do anything religious in our house. Bur we still do tree, presents, Christmas dinner etc. Why wouldn't we do any of that? It's still a midwinter festival that existed long before Christianity. Everyone needs a break mid-winter.

For me it's a cultural celebration, nothing to do with religion.

There has always been a celebration of winter/lights/ feasting at this time of year.

To me it's just about spending time with family. This is the first year I have a tree as I've got a 14mo and I want him to experience the magic of lights and presents and everything else. I don't think you need to be religious to enjoy Xmas really

Sorry I missed the parts we miss, which is really only attending church. I do enjoy carols though.

Pretty much all the feasting, drinking and making merry, I'll even belt out all the religious carols like a reflex courtesy of a church of England school education but I don't go to Church.

I treat it as a cultural holiday rather than a religious one - it was never Christian in the first place in any case! Nothing I do, decorations, presents, stockings, reindeer food, good food, time with family, Elf on the Shelf, light displays etc has any religious link at all. I just enjoy it as an end of year celebration to brighten up the darkest, most miserable time of year!

They probably feel the same way non-pagans feel when they celebrate Easter.

Atheist but I will happily go to a carol service etc although I wouldn't bother on Christmas day. I don't think you need to believe in God to take the messages in the readings. All this stuff is about bonding the group and coming together is more about how humans work than any supernatural element. A beautiful church takes you out of yourself and makes you a part of something bigger which is something we all need.

I think most elements of modern Christmas are secular rather than Christian! We do decorations, Santa, family gatherings and all of the food and drink traditions that go with that, gifts, charitable giving.

Literally the only thing any different to my Christmases growing up is that we don't go to Mass on Christmas morning.

The vast majority of people who celebrate Christmas worldwide are not Christians, and either have no religious belief, or have an entirely different faith. Lights in the depth of winter, the turning of the northern hemisphere back towards the light, gifts, goodwill, gatherings etc -- it's not hard to get behind.

I grew up in a devoutly Christian household, but am now contentedly atheist. I do tend to go to a stone circle by the sea around the solstice -- it's a beautiful place, and the circle is oriented to sunset at the winter solstice. I like being somewhere that was significant to people thousands of years ago.

Having said that, I think I might find it all much more difficult to 'get' if I lived in part of the world where December was summer, bright and hot.

IN: tree, presents, food, family, Santa, panto.
OUT: church, Jesus, nativity.

Why? Tradition, custom, raging against the dark and cold of winter.

2 weeks off work. Bucks fizz for breakfast, Bailey's coffee for breakfast. Quality time with family, lazing about, Xmas movies, Xmas dinner, Xmas EastEnders 😂, Christmas tree and decorations. Seeing people's faces after buying them a nice gift, receiving lovely gifts from loved ones. Shall I go on?

For us it used to be about drawing your family close and no more, but we have now acquired two pagans so have adopted elements of that. I also think we shouldn't need an excuse for a celebration when it's cold and dark!

For my family and I it is a completely cultural holiday. I grew up in an atheist household so never celebrated the religious aspects of it, but it was always a special time of year for me as a child and that has continued with my own children.

I don't think we "opt out" of any aspects of it, unless you consider not going to church as opting out. It's all about spending time with friends and family, treating each other with nice presents, and enjoying good food and drinks.

We are atheists. We love Christmas. We do a huge tree, presents, food, family, party. None of which has anything to do with the birth of Christ

I’m a devout Atheist but Christmas is my favourite time of year. I love spending it with family and friends and the magic around it. It’s also an opportunity for me to spoil my DC.

We don’t do any form of Mass and the only religious aspects are if my DC are in a nativity. No mention or acknowledgment of Jesus in my family but DH’s family are Catholic - still don’t do Mass with them or really engage with the religious side but we are respectful when they mention it and we’re there.

Christmas is my favourite secular holiday 😉

I agree with this. Most elements of Christmas are secular I'd say, Santa, roast dinner, Kings speech etc.

There is nothing Christian about Christmas booze ups, scoffing tins of chocolates, watching the same movies every year, admiring the lights, singing along to the tacky music. It's almost entirely a secular/ cultural celebration these days.

Personally I put up a crib and go to mass. That's about all thats religious. Many of my friends don't do this, but our Christmas period is the same otherwise.

As said it was a winter festival long before Christianity. The Church couldn't get people to stop their feasting, so corporated into their liturgical calendar. I celebrate it as a winter festival. However my GC are now in choirs, so there is some going to church. I do the tree, decorations, feasting and drinking and presents for children. I mourn the fact that the Vikings turned Christian. Life would have been so much better had they not.

It’s more secular than religious now for the most of the U.K., I think.

Opting out of all the customs, some (but not all) of which may have religious origins, but have evolved (presents, food, family gatherings etc) because I’m an atheist would seem rather joyless and pedantic to me.

I don't celebrate at all. Just get 2 days off work.

I don't think you need to believe in God to take the messages in the readings.

I want to agree with this, but every time I encounter actual religious services and ceremonies they pile the supernatural bollcoks on high and wide, as they probably should if they believe in it.

So, for me, a nice church wedding is heavily spolied by the vicar banging on about God and Jesus rather than the actual thing we should be celebrating - the love of the two real people for each other.

Same with Christmas. I don't mind born in a stable stuff. It's a sweet story I remember from childhood like The Owl and the Pussycat or The Tiger who Came To Tea. It's all the religious nonsense on top that is annoying.