I'm just curious if any atheists here are going to go out of their way to not go out of their way to celebrate the holidays. For example, will you refuse to join your family for celebrations? Not give any gifts? Not attend parties?

Full disclosure: I don't think an atheist is a hypocrite for observing or celebrating Christmas as its become an embedded tradition. I'm just curious if there are any hard core atheists who abstain on principle.

Personally, I'd rather not celebrate it, but the rest of my family does and I don't want to risk the wrath of my grandmother.

i just dont see xmas as a religious festival tbh, heck i know a hindu who is celebrating xmas, it was taken and made into a secular holiday years ago (at least here in the uk).
besides its the one day of the year when i cant eat pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) ill be waitin for santa

It's only a big marketing event. Even people in China never having heard about Jesus are celebrating it.

And well, Santa Claus isn't very christian either.

Still I got three days off and that's my reason to celebrate. ;P

Actually, the roots of Santa Clause go back to Christianity - St. Nicholas.

I know, December 6 is Sankt-Nikolaus-Tag here in Germany, but that Guy wasn't living on the North Pole with his gnomes, elves and Rudolf Giuliani or whatever.

I think he was living in what today would be Turkey.

In Germany traditionally the Christkind (Something like little Jesus) brought the gifts December 24.

In Italy you get gifts on January 6, brought by a witch which didn't find Jesus on the first xmas or something.

I'm not sure, my family wasn't religious and much into xmas traditions.

I'd probably be classed as an Atheist, but I still went to Church on Christmas day.

I can't even remember the last time I've been to church ^^

Lol, I think I was put off Church for years and years by a Catholic Christening ceremony

Surely the pertinent question is not whether atheists celebrate it, but whether non-Christians celebrate it. However, I'm also of the view that Christmas is not a religious day for the vast majority of those who celebrate it. Rather it is a cultural holiday with various traditions attached to it.

Just like almost everything else in Christianity, Christmas goes back to pagans.

No, Christmas goes back to Christianity. The church decided to obfuscate a pagan holiday by celebrating Christmas on it. However, some of the traditions (like the tree) were carried over.

St. Nicolas and Chris Kringle were not pagans.

Christmas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It wasn't just Christians or pagans, either, many people celebrated Christmas. It occurs approximately three days after the winter solstice. During these three days the sun does not appear to move in the sky, but on Christmas after three days of being at it's lowest point the sun moves noticeably up a little bit, signifying longer days. Cultures change and historically there have been many celebrations around this time but the "Christian" Christmas was definitely influenced a great deal by earlier celebrations.

This is just your everyday plain, dry, run of the mill history. It's no secret. There were already celebrations being held around this time and Christmas was added by Rome, so naturally it absorbed many of the older traditions.

Basically Christians hijacked the holiday. Its still a Christian holiday.

I used to try to avoid Christmas completely - partly on anti-religious grounds but mostly just because I think it's a really awful time of year.

My family seem quite into it though (especially since the birth of my brothers kids) so the path of least resistance is just to exchange gifts with those who have direct influence over my inheritance.

I spent about 3 hours with the family last Christmas morning. I draw the line at actually staying for the ceremonial dinner. Seems to me there is a very good reason why people don't eat turkey all year round

Nice you're able to stand on principles.

Interesting comment. Seems to me that an awful lot of people do eat turkey all year round.

i eat turkey on at least a bi-weekly basis all year, just because its a fair bit cheaper than chicken, and i only eat red meat once a fortnight or so.

Oh I see what you mean. Lol didn't realize what you were talking about of course Christmas is seen as a Christian holiday.

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A lot of the holiday isn't religious though. What do lights, trees, and presents have to do with Jesus? Same thing with Easter, which although likewise has pagan origins IS a Christian holiday. So in that respect an atheist can celebrate Christmas (or Easter) -- the atheist pretty much celebrates Christmas minus the Jesus part.

Christmas is alright but Easter is kind of stupid lol, family gettogethers and we hide eggs for all the kids.

Gift giving is most likely related to the wise men bearing gifts.