# Do You Celebrate Christmas? Why or Why Not?



## ElectricHead (Jun 3, 2011)

Do you celebrate Christmas. If yes, please explain why, and even include how you like to celebrate the holiday.

If no, same thing. Be as brief or as detailed as you like, as I'm genuinely interested.


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## JTHearts (Aug 6, 2013)

Yeah, I do because it's a Holy Day and it was when Jesus was born so I get together with my family to celebrate, because I'm sure Jesus would want people to be happy on his birthday.


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## nevermore (Oct 1, 2010)

I am speaking from a Western and mostly secular perspective. I realize that to many _Christ_mas is a religious holiday first and foremost, and that in different parts of the world there are different traditions associated with it. I will be concentrating on the secular and cultural aspects of the holiday, particularly as it is celebrated in the Anglophone world. 

Personally, I do. I think that traditions bind people together and give a people a sense of history. In North American culture it seems like we don't have many anymore.  While I'm not super religious I that think holidays like Christmas (as opposed to their watered down, commercialized forms) have an important place. They bring family together, if nothing else, and encourage a spirit of reconciliation and charity. (Well ideally they do; I realize many freak out during the shopping season but I think that just means we should work on de-commercializing the holiday...)


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## Bluity (Nov 12, 2012)

No for two reasons:



I'm not religious.
I don't want to buy crap.

Spontaneous and thoughtful gifts, meaningful celebrations... these are what I want. Not forced holiday cheer, where people splurge on gadgets they don't need, or plastic toys that will break before the new year. It's such a wasteful holiday.


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## Arya (Oct 17, 2012)

john.thomas said:


> Yeah, I do because it's a Holy Day and it was when Jesus was born so I get together with my family to celebrate, because I'm sure Jesus would want people to be happy on his birthday.


Some people have actually tried to chart when Jesus was born and it was not in December. Just to point that out, although there is technically nothing wrong with assigning that as the date to celebrate. 
When was Jesus Christ born? Was Jesus born on December 25 - Christmas Day? - Bible FAQ | United Church of God


Anyways, yes I have always celebrated Christmas with my family. I like the holiday for the most part, aside from the fact that other people go broke buying gifts. I'd be happy just having a nice dinner with a Christmas tree and all that, more like Thanksgiving, but that may be just because I feel guilty for not going out and spending all my money on gifts......


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## Volant (Oct 5, 2013)

Yes, I celebrate Christmas.

- It's the day we celebrate Jesus's birthday (whenever his real birthday was, we don't know, and it doesn't really matter, anyway).

- It brings family together.

- Gifts are nice, but I like the anticipation of Christmas almost better than the actual day itself. The music on the radio, the holiday movies, the tree, the warm lights, the cool snow (if it even snows), the toasty furnace, the jingling bells, those awesome sugar cookies with the little image in the middle (not sure if they even make those anymore)- all this and more is great. Once Christmas Day is over, though, it's a countdown to next Christmas. XD


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

There is more evidence in the bible that jesus was born in the Spring, not the Winter, and not on dec 25; the bible never gives a date -- but like this: Luke 2:8's "shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night" would suggest spring.

Anyway I'm not even a christian, but last year I had one tell me I was going to hell for spelling christmas as x-mas and I told the shrew christmas isn't technically even a holy day. 

I don't celebrate christmas because what it -really- is, is a celebration of commodity-capitalism where you can show your love by buying people crap. 

I think the decorations are really pretty, and I love that part - but I resent when people try to emotionally blackmail me into fucking participating. You tell them that you don't want to, and they still buy you shit, invite you over to exchange gifts and use "but its christmas" as an excuse after you already opted out.

Older mothers can use it as an excuse to emotionally blackmail all the family into showing up.. you'd better spend money on the plane ticket and leave your life behind for a few days or she will resent you for it and you don't want to deal with the weighty fucking guilt. "I just want all the kids together.." We aren't kids anymore.

The most awkward part is sitting in a room of people while each one takes a turn and opens a gift. They all stare at you waiting for a reaction. I'd need to finish an entire bottle of wine before getting conned into that one ever again. Fuck.

I dated someone who had a huge family, a very close family, and christmas was this smothering hell because of it. At least I was shitfaced on chardonnay before we got there. My only saving grace for family holiday tradition. Warms you up good too for a long walk in the snow _-away- from everyone_.









​


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## Zombie Devil Duckie (Apr 11, 2012)

I celebrate it, and on the 25th since my wife and her family are Protestant. The Orthodox celebration date is based on the Julian calendar so it falls on (Gregorian date) January 7th, but... since I don't have a Russian Orthodox church anywhere close right now (and I feel it's more important to celebrate the birth of Jesus rather than the date), I participate in the traditional Western, December 25th Celebration.

On January 7th (December 25th on the Julian calendar) I'll burn some frankincense and privately give thanks & prayer. It's a good day to heal the soul from the beating it takes all year long in our modern society. 

We have a small celebration and I'll usually cook up a feast of food 

The gift giving is just an excuse to get together. The time spent together is what's important, not the "gift".



-ZDD


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## Kabosu (Mar 31, 2012)

No, since like most holidays, it turns out to be more about consumerism. I'd think if it were really spiritual or religious, it would be something worth celebrating on a regular basis.

My experiences haven't always been bad, though. 3 years ago, my brother visited this city for the holidays and by then, I realized I got along with him much more than I _ever_ had.
Though, on the contrary, a close friend died at roughly that same time.
I wouldn't on my own but if that's their thing, that's fine.


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## angelicblaze (Oct 5, 2013)

I'm a Christian so I celebrate it with that viewpoint. I do try to take the commercializing out of it just for my own family. The kids have fun doing a "happy birthday cake" for Jesus. It's fun. 

To limit making it all about gifts, I heard someone say a rhyme that I picked up for my own family as well. "Something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read." That way it covers the basics without being excessive and then any other small things will go into a stocking, which I borrowed from the santa tradition, though we don't do santa. I think the stocking just provides an outlet to get some silly fun little things that plays up the childlike aspect of Christmas for the kiddos.

I've heard of families going out and serving soup kitchens or another charity on Christmas day, I've considered that as well.


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## angelicblaze (Oct 5, 2013)

Arya said:


> Some people have actually tried to chart when Jesus was born and it was not in December. Just to point that out, although there is technically nothing wrong with assigning that as the date to celebrate.
> When was Jesus Christ born? Was Jesus born on December 25 - Christmas Day? - Bible FAQ | United Church of God


What I've heard is the early Christians linked their celebrations with popular pagan holidays so that way if they were in an area that persecuted Christians no one would think it was odd for them to be celebrating on a pagan holiday and they wouldn't draw unwanted attention yet still be able to celebrate. I don't have a true source, though I could look more into it.


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## Fear Itself (Feb 20, 2013)

My father remarried some crazy white lady who likes to think she's Jewish so we started celebrating Hanukkah. :dry: This would be funnier if it wasn't true.

I still celebrate Christmas for the most part with my birth mom's side of the family though.


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## Arya (Oct 17, 2012)

angelicblaze said:


> What I've heard is the early Christians linked their celebrations with popular pagan holidays so that way if they were in an area that persecuted Christians no one would think it was odd for them to be celebrating on a pagan holiday and they wouldn't draw unwanted attention yet still be able to celebrate. I don't have a true source, though I could look more into it.


Yeah, the article I posted says a little about that. Some people suggest that Christmas trees are pagan, while other people say they were just what people did to make their homes cheerier and had nothing to do with pagan religions.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

Yes, I celebrate Christmas. I like to sing in the church choir on Christmas Eve. The music is beautiful, and the church is beautifully decorated. It's nice to hear all of the Bible readings about the birth of Jesus. Whether or not Jesus was actually born on December 25th, it doesn't matter to me. It's a nice time of year to celebrate Christmas because, otherwise, I'd be depressed about all of that darkness since Christmas comes right after the winter solstice.
It's also nice to celebrate with family. 
I design my own Christmas cards and I write a newsletter about my adventures, which I send out a few times a year. The Christmas newsletter is the last one of the year. I do like sharing my stories with as many people as possible and I also like sharing my artwork.
The one thing that I don't like is all of the consumerism. It is really over the top and it starts far too early.


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## StElmosDream (May 26, 2012)

No, too many bad holidays since I was 7; my Mother had always insisted upon arguments and creating bad feelings in the house after the mandatory exchange of presents and My Mother's Mother insisted upon making the day more like a military exercise splitting present giving into three or 4 parts of the day on her schedule and typical alcohol fuelled aggression-wildly unpleasant behaviours.

After over 15 years of holidays like this I was glad that as a University student I was able to cook pleasant food for myself and just treat it like another holiday alone by myself... these days I either ignore the holidays buying enough shopping for two weeks or hope that the next ones will actually be spent with new people not prone to dramas, unpleasant attitudes or negativity.


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## Cossack (Jul 26, 2013)

It's nice to get free shit once a year.


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro (Sep 4, 2010)

Yes, l guess l just celebrate it for my family :blushed:

l am fully aware of it's Pagan roots and l'm an atheist, although most people would probably get the sense l'm agnostic. l really,_ really_ have no interest in sharing my views with anyone, and l find l'm generally annoyed and almost offended when people seem to expect me to dissuade them of their belief in ''X''(could be anything).


Not sure that l would in the future, depends on who l end up with. l've only been involved with one person who had any tendency toward religion so far.


Please don't yell at me.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

No, but I am not into holidays and celebrations in general. I cant stand traditions of any kind.

though I do put out lights,because winter in the northern northern hemisphere gets dreary and it perks things up for a few weeks.


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

No:

a) I am not religious.
b) I am strongly against the capitalist aspect.
c) My family celebrated with us when we were young kids. It lost its appeal.
d) I just have a negative gut reaction to cultural tradition.


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## 66767 (Oct 24, 2013)

Yes, I do. I celebrate Christmas because my family does. I can't say it's because I'm a Catholic, since I only attend church like, 4 times a year? Also, I can't forget to mention the PRESENTS. The FOOD. The CHRISTMAS COOKIES. And family time of course :tongue: And the realization of the fact that we all carry a fat Santa within us--some more so than others--, as happiness overwhelms us when our loved ones open up our thoughtfulness and love, through the form of material gifts on Christmas Day :happy:


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## CaptainShawnee (Oct 11, 2013)

I do celebrate Christmas, but I think it's more of a cultural thing than a spiritual thing. My family is mainly non-denominational Christian (though recently I've been looking into what denomination I most relate to), but Christmas, for us, is more of the cultural giving presents thing but also recognizing its religious purposes.


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## He's a Superhero! (May 1, 2013)

Personally I don't. I'd rather have the freedom to do stuff with the family whenever I choose to, and I like the randomness of gifts...for me it takes half the fun out of it when I'm expecting it. The capitalist side of it is really annoying now, with so many ads of TV that I liken it to sound torture. More importantly tho, X-mas originally was purely a pagan celebration in honour of the pagan god Saturn (thus the name "Saturnalia"), which involved gift giving and feasting - which is not even near the date when Jesus was born. The evergreen tree originated in Northern Europe from tree worship, and the star place on top of the tree represents the star that the devil used to lead magic practices/astrologers to find Jesus, which really ended up a bad thing as countless little boys were murdered soon after. All kinda a bit too disturbing for my taste!


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## SnowFairy (Nov 21, 2011)

Yes, both for religious reasons and simply for the fact that it's fun. I love the decorations, the music, the shopping, giving and receiving gifts, the food...EVERYTHING!


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## TheOwl (Nov 3, 2010)

Yes, because people will be offended if I don't buy them gifts.

I also like getting time off and spending it with family and seeing all the decorations and watching the classic movies. 

People tell me all the time that I shouldn't celebrate Christmas because I'm not a Christian, but I think the holiday has very little to do with Christianity nowadays. It's mostly about friends and family.


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## Carpentet810 (Nov 17, 2013)

My parents tried to tell me a man came down the chimney and gave me presents when I was a little boy. I though they were lunatics. Needless to say that ended christmas forever at my house. 

Now I see christmas as way companies and banks make money off of suckers and a killer way to get the flu while shopping with crowds of delirious retards.

Do you let your children sit on the lap of strange man in a red suit who tells them if they are 'nice' he will give them whatever they want?? Is that something you consider a good idea only on christmas but any other time of the year you would have have him arrested?? Poor parental decision making!


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## aphinion (Apr 30, 2013)

I've celebrated Christmas my entire life. It's just something I've always done, and I rather enjoy it. 

Now that my parents are divorced, I usually sleep at my mother's Christmas Eve and spend Christmas morning with her for a few hours, then celebrate her birthday. 

Sometimes I'll go to my dad's house later that day, but honestly there's never any schedule. Sometimes he's away so my brother and I will just "have Christmas" before or after the actual day.


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## 007phantom (May 1, 2010)

As I've gotten older my enthusiasm for the various holidays has really died quite a bit as there always seems to be a legitimate point against celebrating e.g. with Christmas the idea that its become so driven towards materialism. In any case what's true for me now and always will be is that I enjoy celebrating times like Christmas because its an opportunity to spend time with my family and others that I love and care for. For me its also for religious reasons but my personal motive is just spending time with my family and enjoying myself. Buying gifts is a pain I could do without though


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## Arcadiawolf (Jun 20, 2013)

Yes.

I'm not religious and don't include much related to christianity in my celebration. I just really appreciate the traditions, ambience, atmosphere and all that jazz. After all I'm from Scandinavia, were Yule has been celebrated since long before it somehow overlapped with the birth of Christ.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Yes.
Because I am a sick deranged person and all real intellectuals should hate me.

Whatever. I like Christmas.


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## Wonszu (Sep 25, 2013)

Yes, because it's a tradition and it's a great time to spend time with family. And I don't mean buying presents. We do buy them, off course but they are more symbolic, unless off course your are wealthy. Then you can go wild  In Poland it's about reunion, preparing Wigilia together, making dishes (12 of them) sharing opłatek and singing corals and in the end attend to The Shepperd's Mass where we sing. 

Oh and did I mention that presents are brought by the First Star?  Or an Angel or Grandfather Frost depending on region. 

Saint Nicolas (Santa Claus) has a different day for his job. 6th December he brings presents to good children and gives a birch to bad ones  Most of the time it's a single toy or two and lot's off sweets and oranges. He also looks a little bit different from the Coca Cola's Santa. More like a saint and less like a commercial. 









So yes, children in Poland gets presents twice in December


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## Zster (Mar 7, 2011)

Simple. I choose to celebrate because I greatly enjoy it! I am no longer religious, but still see great value in gathering, sharing, and being grateful.


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## Awe101 (Jan 9, 2012)

Usually no but my sisters are 4 years old now and so my father has us celebrate it so they can experience it.


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## bluejeansandcoffee (Nov 23, 2013)

How do you not know?


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## knightingling (Oct 15, 2013)

I celebrate Christmas. 

In my country, Christmas is a highlight. We always see it as one of the most important celebrations, and at the same time, probably the most highlighted celebration of any year. We see it as a time to just celebrate with our families. My whole family, extended family, meets up every Christmas day for a reunion--to just have fun, celebrate, eat together, meet up. It's the only time that we all actually meet at the same place and time. Christmas is also seen as a very important religious celebration. My family is quite religious, in the sense that we are active in the church; we attend all events and masses. Just as how the church celebrates Christmas, we do, too.

I also see Christmas as a time to just give gifts to my loved ones to let them know that I love and care for them. Well, Christmas is giving. This value is particularly emphasized in this season. It's probably the only season that we all give gifts to people. Even though we do not really have winter in my country at all, Christmas is very _Christmas_ here. Although I agree that it is also during Christmas that consumerism is being emphasized and horribly abused by the producers in the market, that is not the focus of Christmas at all. I see Christmas as celebration, and so be it. It's probably the only time where every person I know, and even do not know, is happy.


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## ifyouinsist (Dec 2, 2013)

No. I've never given a gift for the holiday season, as I don't understand the reason. When people decide to give me gifts, I have no problem thanking them, but that's about it. I think they're a bit foolish.


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## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I love Christmas! It's always been the thing I look forward to all year. I love the feeling of anticipation and nostalgia in the air, I love the decorations and traditional songs, I love the treats  Christmas Trees are my favorite part. I'm a Christian so I celebrate it for that reason, _but also for the cultural aspect_. I like how different traditions from different countries can be continued in rememberance of family history, even if western culture is becoming much more the same everywhere. I don't feel like it's necesarily just a religious holiday even if that's how it began. It's something that is a cultural tradition, something that brings family and friends (and society as a whole) together. I know there's a lot of commercialization, and that bringing families together can also bring up family issues, but at least in my experience those things haven't defined the experience for me. Of course I don't like guilt-tripping about gifts, but I still enjoy giving and recieving them between people I care about. Christmas provides a good excuse to have a party or take a vacation


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## NiamhD (Dec 3, 2013)

Yes. We celebrate it as a cultural holiday and as an extension of Yule (which we also celebrate). And I like getting presents.

Oh, and family, blah blah blah. Presents.


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## DeadlyRefridgerator (Jun 4, 2013)

As soon as I move out I'm never going to celebrate it again, mostly because it's a waste of time setting all that crap up just for one day.


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## intjonn (Apr 20, 2013)

What's to celebrate? The 'joy' of believing in the warped idea that a child born of an act of rape by 'God The Father' to Mary with the cherry was sent to be a human sacrifice to 'atone ' for my sin? My life is so empty that I need to set aside one day a year to perpetuate this 'Tradition'? I'm glad I have many other days in a year with which to celebrate many other things, ideas, experiences, persons, etc, etc,.......

*<<<<<----------------------Take it from a koon!*


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## AetherDays (Dec 7, 2013)

I have always celebrated Christmas. I grew up in a household that celebrated Christmas and I love the holiday season.


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