Monday
Dec222008
Secular Christmas
Monday, December 22, 2008
Once again this holiday season I have been bombarded by messages that either assume I am a Christian, that are attempting to convince me that I should be a Christian, or that are telling me I don't have the right to celebrate Christmas because I'm not a Christian.
Like it or not, I will be celebrating a secular Christmas.
Christmas, to me, is a day off from work. It is one of a couple of days in a row that all of my family has off from work. This makes it easier for everyone to get together in one place to be able to spend time together. It doesn't really matter to me that it is December 25 that we have off. As far as I'm concerned it could be January 15 or February 3rd. But we've gotten used to it being December 25, it has become a tradition, so why change it?
Christmas is also an opportunity to share with others, whether that is giving gifts, teaching loved ones new skills or games, sharing stories and laughs, having a great meal together, or doing something for those that are less fortunate.
I know other non-Christians that don't celebrate Christmas but have nonetheless developed December 25 traditions, whether it is a day at the ski hill with their family (because no one else is there, so you don't have to wait for the lifts) or getting together with other non-Christians for a shared meal. The government grants these people the day off, despite the fact that they are not Christians, so they deserve to use the day to celebrate as they see fit.
Don't get me wrong, I think there are a lot of things about the Christian Christmas story that are compelling. The birth of Christ made Mary, Joseph and Jesus into a family (the fact that the birth wasn't really on December 25 or even in the winter at all doesn't really matter) and becoming a family is certainly worth celebrating. The three wise men brought gifts to someone less fortunate than them and the owner of the Inn helped someone in need. While it has some compelling aspects that I incorporate into my secular Christmas, the story of the birth of Jesus is just a nice story to me. It is a nice story in the same way that the story of Scrooge, for example, is a nice story. You don't need to be a Christian to appreciate a good story.
Traditions are an important thing for a family and Christmas (being that shared day off) is an opportunity to build traditions that will last a lifetime and create family bonds. That is my wish for Christmas.
Like it or not, I will be celebrating a secular Christmas.
Christmas, to me, is a day off from work. It is one of a couple of days in a row that all of my family has off from work. This makes it easier for everyone to get together in one place to be able to spend time together. It doesn't really matter to me that it is December 25 that we have off. As far as I'm concerned it could be January 15 or February 3rd. But we've gotten used to it being December 25, it has become a tradition, so why change it?
Christmas is also an opportunity to share with others, whether that is giving gifts, teaching loved ones new skills or games, sharing stories and laughs, having a great meal together, or doing something for those that are less fortunate.
I know other non-Christians that don't celebrate Christmas but have nonetheless developed December 25 traditions, whether it is a day at the ski hill with their family (because no one else is there, so you don't have to wait for the lifts) or getting together with other non-Christians for a shared meal. The government grants these people the day off, despite the fact that they are not Christians, so they deserve to use the day to celebrate as they see fit.
Don't get me wrong, I think there are a lot of things about the Christian Christmas story that are compelling. The birth of Christ made Mary, Joseph and Jesus into a family (the fact that the birth wasn't really on December 25 or even in the winter at all doesn't really matter) and becoming a family is certainly worth celebrating. The three wise men brought gifts to someone less fortunate than them and the owner of the Inn helped someone in need. While it has some compelling aspects that I incorporate into my secular Christmas, the story of the birth of Jesus is just a nice story to me. It is a nice story in the same way that the story of Scrooge, for example, is a nice story. You don't need to be a Christian to appreciate a good story.
Traditions are an important thing for a family and Christmas (being that shared day off) is an opportunity to build traditions that will last a lifetime and create family bonds. That is my wish for Christmas.
Reader Comments (15)
My wife and I are not Christians, but we do celebrate Christmas. We get a tree each year, wrap gifts and leave them under the tree and put lights around the house. There is no reason not to experience the spirit of Christmas because of religion. Therefore, I find your post quite refreshing and encouraging.
We also celebrate other holidays throughout the year which are probably not mainstream in America. Again, it is not the religious aspect of those holidays that interests us, rather it is a chance to immerse ourselves in our heritage and traditions which motivates us.
We want our children to grow up with a sense of connection with our own heritage as much as that of this country. Thanksgiving and Christmas, therefore, are big on our list.
Happy holidays!
Celebrating at this time of year predates Christianity, so it's not really 'their' time to celebrate.
You don't have to believe in Christ to wish others a merry Christmas, just like you don't have to believe in Eostre to say 'happy Easter'.
So, PhD, I agree with your sentiments entirely, and wish you and yours a very merry Christmas.
Rob A, in the UK
Oh, and it could be argued that one of the good things that baby Jesus gave us were public images of breastfeeeding http://one-of-those-women.blogspot.com/2008/06/dangers-of-d-word-part-1.html
I am also not Christian, but because I live in America, where the overwhelming majority are Christian and some seem to believe in some faux "attack on Christmas," I am being bombarded by those same messages as you are. Unlike you, I don't think of Christmas a secular holiday. The funny part is, my family has developed Christmas traditions: we go out for Chinese food and then see a movie. That's a real Jewish Christmas!
"Traditions are an important thing for a family and Christmas (being that shared day off) is an opportunity to build traditions that will last a lifetime and create family bonds. That is my wish for Christmas."
Couldn't agree more :) and I wish you and your family wonderful family time together :)
While we are christian by heritage -- the tradition of togetherness and peace & joy & magic is what we celebrate most at christmas time...
Well said! And well worth saying too. I hope you and your family have a fun, relaxing and altogether wonderful holiday season!
Well put! We celebrate a secular Christmas, and it is becoming one of the most important holidays for us. It's a time to be with your family, be grateful, give, and eat lots of yummy food. I don't need to be Christian to have those values, and those secular traditions are not offensive to Christianity.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
A Magical moment in time I realized, daughter Emilie 8- in front,
Jasmine 10- behind me, my nephew Sean behind jazz. (his first time on horseback). We began climbing the freshly blanketed
snow covered mountain. The horses kept cutting through the
pine tree limbs- wacking the person behind with snow-we all
couldn't contain our bellie laughs! The smells, cold-crisp air,
sounds of the creek, the horses, and wild life on the remote
Colorado mountain..That day- Christmas-the gift of experience.
I'm a Christian, but celebrate a secular Christmas of gift giving, excellent meals and family. The most Christian ingredient is the music. These secular and Christian traditions complement each other but are very different. Forcing spirituality into Christmas makes it feel contrived and ingenuine. Let's be real--I give gifts and enjoy receiving gifts -- it's fun and do it for humanistic reasons.
To me, Christ and Christmas traditions are separate and that OK if you ask me.
Love this perfect explanation of being able to appreciate traditions on the 25th sans religion. I hope that your family has a beautiful day tomorrow!
Very well-put. I make no secret of the fact that I am atheist. But at this time of year, I feel awkward, because people question my participation in some events (tree, presents) and not others (church, creche, etc.)... but Christmas to me is less about Baby Jesus than it is about tradition and family and participating in heritage and culture. Now, I will stand straighter when I sing Jingle Bells, because I will be celebrating secular Christmas! Thanks Annie :)
There is a comedy tv show here in the states called Community. They did a clay-mation Christmas special, and this quote has really stuck with me. "The meaning of Christmas is that Christmas has meaning. It's up to you to decide what that is."
So, Merry Christmas to all, religious or secular. May your bellies be full, your hearts merry, and your joy great!
Thanks for this post! I am an atheist, but we have a tree, put up lights, share presents, give to charity etc. at this time of year. These are ALL pagan traditions, by the way, which is something that sometimes kind of shocks some Christians when I tell them about it. (The actual celebration of Christmas was long banned in the colonies at the founding of America -- it was seen as a non-Christian pagan celebration!)
In fact, I would argue that when most people, even those that identify as Christian, wish others a Merry Christmas, what they're really wishing for is time together with family, warmth and light during the cold winter, generosity of spirit to friends family and those in need, beautiful music, yumminess in the form of treats that we save for once a year, and general celebration of the comforts of hearth and home. The baby Jesus is tangential to how most people experience Christmas. As a non-believer I have NO problem enjoying it and wishing Merry Christmas to others!
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I wrote a post on Christmas Eve question why someone who does not believe in Christ would celebrate his birthday. Because it seemed like an odd thing to do to me. It seemed like something people do not do with any other religion. And I got a few answers - some a little nastier then I expected - but this has a very compelling reason to me. As a matter of fact I kind of love this reason. Why not? We are all together and not working - that in itself is worth celebrating! I love it. Not that you needed my approval nor did you need to explain yourself. Still I like it. I hope you had a very merry one. :)