Its Christmas season, here in Pennsylvania. Although there are many practiced religions in my home city, I live in a predominately Christian Region. I consider myself an “Agnostic” so I do not join in in the Christian aspects of the holiday.
So I get the occasional question: Do you celebrate Christmas?
And my answers is yes. also:
- I have a Christmas tree in my house.
- I goto Christmas parties.
- I receive and buy Christmas gifts (usually I am still shopping on Xmas eve)
- I sing Christmas carols
- I try to trap women under mistletoe toe (my favorite holiday tradition)
Christmas is wrapped up in nostalgia. I have fond memories of this time of year growing up in Pa. Its also a great diversion from the Mid Atlantic region dark days.Christmas s not my favorite cultural holiday, but its a pleasant one.(this is not the case for everyone. Many people find Christmas to be a very depressing time of year.)
I think of Christmas as a humanitarian holiday. to gift, to volunteer, or to donate to humanitarian causes.
This year will be the first year in a long time i am not volunteering on Christmas. I am just to tired, this year. I will have to think of some other way to participate in this Humanitarian Holiday.
I wish season greetings to everyone celebrating:
Christmas, Eid, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice or Humanitarian Holiday.
Happy Holidays!
I like your way of looking at Christmas. I’m an agnostic too, and I still do fun Christmas things, but not church. My family decided not to buy presents at all this year. Instead, we’re volunteering for habitat for humanity in Reading, Pa. It’s only for one day, but at least we get to help someone. I think people don’t volunteer enough.
Tim
I’m not agnostic, but I’m also not particularly into Christmas.
I don’t usually put a tree up in my home – although that said, the tree isn’t really Christian – it actually comes from the northern winter solstice traditions dating way back before Christianity. Stuff about marking the longest night of winter, and bringing reminders into the house of the light that will return as the nights get shorter and the days get longer.
I might sing Christmas carols to my niece, but that’s about it! Otherwise, can’t stand ‘em.
I begrudgingly take part in the whole consumerist frenzy (although in my own style) of buying presents for people. I’m trying to change my family’s habits slowly…
Mostly, for me, its just a day to be with family. Down here in Australia we celebrate the summer solstice instead. Not that it has much to do with my family’s celebrations – its just something that as a yogi and a bit of a pagan… I’ve always been into.
The thing I object to most about Christmas is its pervasiveness. Not everyone is a Christian. And I object to hearing Christmas carols when I go to eat bento at a Japanese establishment!
christmas is the only religion-related celebration that i know of that people of different faiths openly celebrate together with their fellow christians. that’s what commercialism does!
but christmas also promotes good values like family togetherness, the spirit of giving, goodwill and cheer, etc.
i wrote a post recently about this when someone said christmas is not christian as it is full of pagan traditions (or something along those lines). to me, how christian your christmas is, is how you celebrate it.
provocative statement: that’s what commercialization does.
I hear so many (me included) complain about how commercialized Christmas is today, yet more people celebrate the season because of that.
Before it became such a commercial holiday, it was celebrated by many with heavy drinking and rowdy behavior. In 1800s Britain, Puritan leaders banned Christmas celebrations not only the drunken behavior, but because many of the pagan influence on the holiday.
So there have been many ways to celebrate the Holiday.
So Christmas , in cultures that make a big holiday out of it, is how you celebrate it.
A family holiday, a party holiday, a religious holiday, a business holiday or a humanitarian holiday.
Happy Christmas, no matter how you celebrate it.