How many Non-Christians Celebrate Xmas?

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[linkhttp://www.au.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8589&abbr=cs_]This[/link] is a great article by an evangelical Christian who had an epiphany about exluding minority faiths from public life and events. Turn things around and all of a sudden its not so easy to just "not participate" or "ignore it" if you're not of the majority faith.
 
ETA that I'm a Buddhist now but I'm still an atheist (most Buddhists are) and grew up that way. So add me to the list. []

Houndlove that was interesting...I wonder tho...why didn't he simply show up AFTER the game had started? Lol...seems a pretty simply way to continue to socialize an support the kids at the game and not offend his faith.

I don't know about other Christians, but to me Good Friday and Christmas Eve are the more spiritual days of the year, not Christmas and Easter.  On Christmas Eve, I usually go to church- one of th efew times a year I go.  I consider myself a practicing Chrisitan, but I don't exactly sit in line with any one denomination's teachings.  Plus I like to decide things on my own, not be told them.  Anyways, I go to church sevices on both Good Friday and Christmas Eve.  The Christmas Eve service is a beautiful candle lit service that has a bunch of singing of old hymns and Christmas songs (not Jingle Bells or anything like that xD).  It's quite nice.  Good Friday's service is just as nice.  Christmas and Easter are more of a family time, and get together.  Lots of fun and food. 

Another atheist here! But, we have a tree up in the house (it is absolutely not a christmas tree) and we have decorations outside. We just love having the decorations up because they're pretty. We go crazy decorating for Halloween too, but we're not as crazy this time of year. Our decorations aren't really christmassy I think. We've got a penguin, a snowman, some snowflakes hanging above the doorway, the lights along the pathway are penguins, and the tree has multicolored lights. As far as I am concerned, they're just generic winter decorations, and not associated with any holiday, but i'm sure there are others who believe that they're christmas lights. 

is a great article by an evangelical Christian who had an epiphany about exluding minority faiths from public life and events. Turn things around and all of a sudden its not so easy to just "not participate" or "ignore it" if you're not of the majority faith.

 
Houndlove...thanks for sharing that article!  I forwarded it on to DH, who always says "folks have no idea on a daily basis how tolerant atheists have be to get along in society".  I think it was good for this guy to get to feel the other side of things...it gives you perspective![]   

I don't know about other Christians, but to me Good Friday and Christmas Eve are the more spiritual days of the year, not Christmas and Easter.

 
For me too, and I my fondest memories are of midnight mass on Christmas Eve.  I was raised in a very devout Catholic home (fish on Fridays []) and although I don't practice the faith as I should, I'm very much a Christian.  It's difficult for me to use Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.  It just feels disingenuous. 
 
Does it really offend people (atheists) to hear that greeting? 

Speaking personally, if you've grown up as an atheist you get kind of immune to being offended. I don't flip out if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas because we do celebrate a secular Christmas,and I understand that people say it just out of habit, but it does tell me that the person has made an assumption about my religious practices and that bothers me.
 
Basically all these things are reminders that you're different and you don't belong and no one is really taking your feelings into account because you're a minority and thus don't matter. And that's offensive to me.

I'm not at all religious (agnostic though, not atheist.. I don't say there ISN'T a god just like I don't say there IS. I love the bumper stickers that say "Agnostic: I don't know, and you don't either!" because it applies to all the people who "know" either way), and I celebrate Christmas. With the tree, presents, decorations, everything. It's just nice tradition and celebration with family and friends.
 
I don't have kids yet, but I don't think they'll believe in Santa when I do. I don't see the point in creating some artificial gift-giver. Kids get so greedy and nasty around Christmas, I'd rather make it a family oriented kind of thing, instead of super long lists of toys sent to "Santa", and acting awful when they don't get what they asked for.
 
Christmas is so separated from Christianity at this point, IMO. I'm not a fan of organized religion, but Christmas isn't about that anymore. It's about trees and presents and lights and shopping. Sad for Christians, maybe, but true.

Kids get so greedy and nasty around Christmas,
 
Actually mine are on their best behavior then...who wants a lump of coal? LOL...never underestimate the value of BRIBES.
 
And I don't care what anyone thinks of me for doing it. If Santa brings good behavior then my only regret is it only works ONCE a year. LMAO.

ORIGINAL: chelsea_b

I'm not at all religious (agnostic though, not atheist.. I don't say there ISN'T a god just like I don't say there IS. I love the bumper stickers that say "Agnostic: I don't know, and you don't either!" because it applies to all the people who "know" either way), and I celebrate Christmas. With the tree, presents, decorations, everything. It's just nice tradition and celebration with family and friends.

I don't have kids yet, but I don't think they'll believe in Santa when I do. I don't see the point in creating some artificial gift-giver. Kids get so greedy and nasty around Christmas, I'd rather make it a family oriented kind of thing, instead of super long lists of toys sent to "Santa", and acting awful when they don't get what they asked for.

Christmas is so separated from Christianity at this point, IMO. I'm not a fan of organized religion, but Christmas isn't about that anymore. It's about trees and presents and lights and shopping. Sad for Christians, maybe, but true.

I wholeheartedly agree with how Christmas has evolved over the years. I was appalled at my son last weekend when we went to pick out toys for Toys for Tots. He kept whining about how he wasn't getting a present.

I actually dread the holidays now. I think the emphasis is on the wrong things. It has gotten to be less and less about charity, goodwill toward others, being thankful for what you have and family and friends. It seems to be more about how much loot can you get a hold of and for how much.

Does anyone else feel that way?

--Sara

Nope...but my kids are small 3 & 5.
 
If they get that way as older kids then they don't get anything under the tree...period. That's the way the gimmes were dealt with when I grew up. Worked great.

Does it really offend people (atheists) to hear that greeting?

 
DH and I were both raised with religion to some degree, so it doesn#%92t really offend us too much because we are use to hearing (have said it many times in the past)  it and also understand what the day means to others who do carry different religious beliefs than us. We listen to Christmas music and he is even in an “a capella” signing group that does tons of Christmas caroling gigs during the holiday season. He has no problem with the music even the very religious ones because he sees the beauty of the music itself and doesn#%92t have to hold to its meaning.
 
 I think 9 times out of 10 it just rolls off your back when someone wishes you a “merry Christmas”, but sometimes just as houndlove said it does make you stop and think about the fact that the person is making a big assumption. It is the same for many folks though…my Jewish friends have always had to deal with being wished a “merry Christmas”.   eople don#%92t mean any offense by it, they just may not be really thinking about how diverse our country is because of the people and communities they chose to surround themselves with and those beliefs.   
 

I will only "Seasons Greet" someone if I've been similarily greeted (because there are people that don't celebrate anything this time of year, and that's fine) but I always use a non-denominational greeting. Happy Holidays is inclusive. Christmas is included in that greeting, as is Divali and Rohatsu and Chanukkah and Eid al Fitr and Yule. Merry Christmas is exclusive as it only mentions one December holiday and exludes the rest.

Diversity, folks. It's a beautiful thing.

Alright that's it Houndlove...I'm joining your fanclub and I expect to receive my button and membership poster by XMAS! lmao...

Me too!!    I was raised Catholic and when I realized, sitting in church on a Sunday that the preist was saying the same thing he said last year, well I realized it was not for me.  So I arranged my work schedule to work Sat evenings and Sun mornings so my mom couldn't force me to go to church.  bleh.

I do celebrate Christmas for the good feelings and special traditions it entails but I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore.  And I too say Seasons' Greetings or Happy Holidays to people I don't know.  It's polite to them, not covering anything up.  I made the mistake of saying Merry Christmas to a new friend, only to find out she was Jewish!  oops, my bad.  It had never occurred to me since most people where I live now, are Christian or Catholic.  Where I grew up, it was a majority of Jewish, not Catholic, so the Happy Holidays or Happy Chanukah was easier to get out.  Guess I'm out of practice.

Does anyone else feel that way?

--Sara

Yes!  I so wish it was less commercialized.  For cryin' out loud there were "Christmas" decorations on shelves in some stores before it was Thanksgiving!!  ugh..

I love the bumper stickers that say "Agnostic: I don't know, and you don't either!"

 
I love that Chelsea...I totally want it!! [8D]
 

It has gotten to be less and less about charity, goodwill toward others, being thankful for what you have and family and friends. It seems to be more about how much loot can you get a hold of and for how much.

Does anyone else feel that way? 

 
Yep, I really do feel that way ...but that again is why even though Christmas doesn't hold religious meaning for me, I still have specific annual family traditions so that the focus is on family, friends and being thankful for what you have and giving to those in need.  My step kids wen't through a few years of  being "crazed with presents", but now as young adults they have come around and their favorite part of the holidays are the family traditions and the time we spend together.