Christmas is almost here! Are you non-believers still accepting presents? I know I am.

Christmas is almost here! Are you non-believers still accepting presents? I know I am.

I thought I would ask you guys and gals this question cause christmas is almost here and I'm not a practicing christian church-goer but I am still giving and recieving presents.

When I think of christmas the last thing that comes to mind is jesus and the real purpose behind christmas.

I think of the lights, the snow, the tree, and presents.

Some people think of the expenses of buying presents for everyone and their mother a present.
Some people think of how much money the new elmo doll is going to make them when millions of moms and grandmas pour into the nearest TOYS R' US trampling each other.
Some people are happy just to be with a loved one.
Some people set up and reinact an entire nativity scene in their yard, line every corner of their house and yard with lights and hollow plastic santa clauses, then put a giant inflatable snowglobe on their front lawn with a generator that blows around little pieces of foam snow inside.
Some people just exchange presents and eat until they burst.

What does christmas mean to those of you who are not religious? Do you still do the present thing?

Personally I think the present thing is great, doesn't need to have any religous aspects to it, just giving and recieving. It gives people something to look forward to.

I'm not religious, but I'm still trading presents.

Thoughts?
What about you?

reply to post by pinealexplorer


Sorry! I don't celebrate a pagan holiday.
Source
Christmas is one of the major capitalist holidays in the world.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


I don't celebrate christmas either, I do trade gifts with friends and family though. I don't consider that celebrating christmas, just a yearly event where we can help our friends out.

I'm not celebrating anything to do with Christ. Just an opportunity to accept gifts and get something nice for a friend.

Does make me think though, why don't we trade gifts all year round, i'm sure 1/2 of the people who "celebrate christmas", don't even know what they are celebrating. hmmm.

So I have to believe Santa is real to get presents? Really what are you going to do at Halloween, believe zombies are real to get treats, is this something we should ask the kids at the door? Seriously these are all holidays from before new religions high jacked them. Do you think Christmas is really Jesus’ birthday and not Saturnalia or Sol Invictus which was going on well before Jesus was around on the same day? The reason for that day to be important is that it is the first time the days get longer after the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Hence the Sun God is coming back..... Dionysius Exiguus came up with Jesus’ birth date on the 25th in the 6th century, so 500 years after a guy dies does he get his birthday set up on the same day to celebrate the Sun God’s return, how convenient. So tell us what we must believe so non-believers can get presents, is it belief in a Sun God or Jesus?
I say check the site below, believe everything, and get presents all winter long, woot woot

www.religioustolerance.org...

I quite enjoy the present aspect of Christmas too, but the pressure people are put under to enjoy it and make it 'the best Christmas ever' has completely ruined it for me.

So much build up of expectation inevitably leads to disappointment.

For the last couple of years I have been fairly isolated and it's such a relief to just send out a few cards and enjoy the winter season whilst walking through the forest and noticing the holly growing wild instead of seeing it bound into wreaths.

Currently, we have Christmas adverts on TV which I resent bitterly. If it weren't for them, I could almost forget it altogether - at least until the appropriate time.

The one thing I do enjoy is the Christmas tree and have fun decorating mine. Artificial and with a nice mix of 'tasteful' decorations and silly ones.

I wouldn't want to ban it, I'd never want to deprive little kids of the fun and magic they might derive from it. But, for myself, once every five years would probably be too much.

I like Easter. Bunnies, lambs and little chicks appeal to me far more than Santa and his reindeer.