I was at a friend's place today, and she is stressing about Christmas, now, in August. I was never big on the holiday, and not celebrating it for a few years has given me distance to think rationally about this.
This is just a commercial nightmare. I know that I can celebrate if I want to, but I really want to make the stand and drop it from my life.
Has anyone done this, to any success? I mean my mother is not religious at all, but I can't stomach the thought of all that pity. That is just too much to take.Atheists: Any advice on getting the family primed to the fact that I won't be celebrating Christmas this year?
I haven't participated in the Christmas paganism for 5 years. I am a Christian though.
I simply told my family that I wasn't going to participate and haven't. It is that simple.
As an adult you get to make a choice. Don't be concerned with what anyone will think. It isn't their place to think for you.Atheists: Any advice on getting the family primed to the fact that I won't be celebrating Christmas this year?
The world affords us so few opportunities and excuses to go out of our way to show our family how much we care.
Even as an atheist myself... no offense, I do find it a little sad.
You can celebrate Christmas, or Winter Holiday, or Family Day, or however you wish to call it, with home made gifts and spending time together.
But, if you are convinced on this course of action, simply kindly and politely tell them what you've said here.
Tell them you are going on retreat to purify yourself and to pray for the
health and happiness of the planet. that you plan to give any Christmas gifts that they might send to you to the local homeless ( or abused woman) shelter. You will be surprised at the response.
I do not celebrate Christmas either. I do however go to my Mom's house on Christmas or Christmas Eve in order to spend time with family. Only greedy friends and family members will be offended that you got them no presents.
Christmas is ok, you can celebrate winter solstice ( for the hell of it)
Me, I prefer thanksgiving, I give my kids gifts then, my wife ( a Catholic) gives them Christmas gifts... My kids make out like bandits every year
My immediate family decided some years ago to quit the habit. We all agreed on Family Get-to-gether as an alternative as we are not sky-pixie believers and the needless expense was so draining.
I suggest giving loved ones gifts every day of the year EXCEPT December 25th. That should get the message across loud and clear.
i celebrate it, most traditions are pagan and secular anyway
and i have very little money just dont by many presents
In my family, it's not Christmas. It's ';I get free **** day.'; They say they belong to whatever religion, but there's no Jebus left in Christmas. It's all about the $$$.
It should be removed like a Band-Aid with one swoop
Hide
Take a vacation
Why not? Free presents. xD
I agree with you.
My family and I celebrate Winter Holiday. It's not religious, it's not about gifts (although there are some, but nothing extravagant). We relax, visit family, have a nice supper and go to sleep.
Then comes Boxing Day. I never really did the whole getting up early to go shopping thing.. I go to the mall for sh!ts and giggles.
Christmas is a waste of money. Even to religious people (my friend) there isn't much religion left in the holiday.
My parents believe in getting things for people throughout the year. As opposed to getting the whole ';Christmas is coming up, maybe you'll get it then'; bullsh!t.
I would advise you to not cut the ties all together. Getting together for family fun is something that you will cherish forever even though right now you may not think so. Why not start now and suggest doing something like playing Dirty Santa? It is cheap and loads of fun. You can either set a price per gift or play White Elephant Dirty Santa and bring an unwanted item or items from home...sometimes real stuff and sometimes stuff like a box of toilet paper, a book, a DVD etc.
Here is a link to explain how to play.
Children may not appreciate the game so for them one could bring some random gifts or the parents of the kids could bring thier own child/children a gift or gifts to open and play with so they will be occupied while the adults ''play''
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_eleph…
Honestly the celebration of Christmas is hardly ';Christian';... It's actually a ancient pagan festival celebrating the winter solstice. It was really difficult to get non-Christians to convert because they had a 5-day feast %26amp; orgy %26amp; party called ';saturnalia'; every year... so the early church decided to ';Christianize'; the festival by making it a celebration of the birth of Christ and called it Christ-mass. The whole commercial thing is more in tune with what it used to be... a way to blow off steam, and celebrate life after living in a very disciplined manner for the rest of the year.
It's much the same way that certain fundamentalist Christian groups are trying to create an alternative to Halloween by making church events on October 31, or giving out tracts instead of treats.
Christmas for me is a time to celebrate 1. The start of a season I love, 2. The good in people, and 3. The relationships I have with people I care about.
It's not commercial for me, even though I do either buy or make a few gifts. I don't get caught up in the gift aspect, nor do I stress over what to get people. The gift aspect is about showing the person that I thought about them and looked for something I thought they'd enjoy. It's merely part of the celebration and appreciation of my loved ones.
I've never even considered giving up Christmas.
If you want to, though, by all means, do... though, if your only complaint about Christmas is that it's a commercial nightmare, I wonder why you don't just compromise with your family and make it into something that's not in any way commercial. That's what I'd do... still get together, but without the presents and other trappings.
But if that's not for you, then just face the music, and tell your family the truth as tactfully as possible.
Kindly remind them of these Biblical FACTS:
1. Jesus was not born on Dec 25th. There is absolutely NO Biblical evidence to indicate what day he was born on. Astronomy evidence seems to indicate He was probably born in April.
2. Jesus never once celebrated his own birthday while living. Absolutely no record that his parents did so either. Some vague evidence does exist that three wise men eventually showed up (years after the birth) to celebrate his arrival on Earth. That's about it.
3. Jesus was a humble man. He would be appauled at the way His birth is celebrated. It has deteriorated into a season of greed, materialism and wanton spending.
4. Christmas is ACTUALLY a late December Pagan Roman Holiday which existed for hundreds of years before Christ. It was simply an excuse to get drunk, have sex with anyone and celebrate the good harvest. The Romans started the traditions of bringing evergreen trees and branches into the house to welcome ';wood spirits'; which they believed were evident in the odors of freshly cut ever greens.
Just say NOOOOOO to Christmas, Santa Clause and all that other gift giving B.S.
Don't have the time or cash as a full time student?
Isn't that what winter break is for?
You can't spare one day out of your two weeks or more of winter vacation to spend with you family?
You don't have 10 bucks to buy a pack of greeting cards?
Is thinking about someone other than yourself for one day out of the year too much for you?
There are ways of making a religious statement without being a jerk to your family.
I'm not jewish or buddhist either, but I send friends who are jewish and buddhist gifts/greetings on their holidays because I know its important to them. See what I mean?
I'm of the same opinion as you. I only get my teen daughter a little something so she doesn't feel left out. I get her major stuff year round. I just can't do the xmas thing any more. I don't have it in me and it doesn't feel right. Forced debt every year on schedule. Pretty good scam if you ask me.I'm not cold hearted either, but I'm not playing the elitists games. Or, participating in something I don't believe in.
I have never been a believer in invisible sky swooping pixies BUT I always spend time at xmas with my family - not to celebrate dead guy on a stick stuff - just to spend some time around a table eating and drinking and remembering childhood places and things and keeping in contact.
Since leaving home a little over forty years ago I think I've missed going (I live in a different state) 'home' about five times.
As I've got older I realise I do it more for 'for them' than for me.
I'd sooner stay home BUT ... you never know when it's the last time - it'll all be over soon enough.
Oh, and I never buy presents.
~
I liked how you posted this under 'religion and spirituality' because you see, with all the lies and corruption 'supporting' atheism it does, in fact, take more faith to believe the universe came from an explosion caused by NOTHING than Christianity.
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