Comment by Gallup's Mirror on November 29, 2012 at 12:03pm

Tell the nutbag that Christmas is a Christian bastardization of traditional winter solstice festivals like Yule or Sol Invictus. The celebrants were acknowledging that the sun stops getting lower in the sky each day, and that daylight, warmth, and life conquer night, cold, and death. To them it was the birthday of the sun itself and the new year that followed.

The Christ Mass is held on December 25 because the Winter Solstice and the accompanying festivals happen on December 21 or 22.

You eat "Christmas" ham because Yule involved sacrificing a wild boar.

You use "Christmas" holly, fir trees, and mistletoe because pagans observed they stay green all winter (evergreens) and were symbols of fertility and life.

You have the "12 Days of Christmas" because the Yule was 12 days long (the Yuletide). 

You have a cozy "Christmas" fire because pagans burned Yule logs: fire festivals that were symbols of the sun's long-lasting fire.

You sing "Christmas Carols" because of pagan Yulesinging rituals for health and fertility.

Before he became Santa Claus (Father Christmas) on a sleigh with 8 reindeer who gave out plastic gift cards, he was the god Odin who led a Yule hunt through the night sky on an 8-legged horse named Sleipnir and gave gifts of food.

If this guy participates in any of these things then he's a hypocrite of staggering proportions for claiming to be a Christian while engaging in pagan fertility rituals and sun worship.

These are the traditions I'm acknowledging at Christmas: the pending end of winter, the start of a new year, and my relationships with family and friends. I'm proud to say his nutbag Christian religion has nothing to do with that, outside of his delusions.

Comment by RobertPiano on November 29, 2012 at 12:23pm

Thanks GM. I have heard about this before but in bits and pieces

Comment by archaeopteryx on November 29, 2012 at 12:35pm

@G.M. - RE: "You sing "Christmas Carols" because of pagan Yulesinging rituals for health and fertility."

True, but at the same time, naked, drunken Romans went door to door singing to anyone who would listen, during Saturnalia, also held at that time of year.

I like to get an early start - I do myh naked drunken caroling on Halloween, when it's not so cold. I have an entire wall in my house, I've papered with restraining orders!

I remember Sleipnir - he almost picked up the Triple Crown, but he tripped over his own feet! I lost a bundle on that nag --

Comment by emma bailie on November 29, 2012 at 12:49pm

Cody Kirchner, that made me laugh very hard!  However, I agree with you.. Its very much a one day to church affair for many of the hyprocritcal xtians out there pointing fingers at others... as they say.. don't throw stones at glass houses :)

Comment by emma bailie on November 29, 2012 at 1:02pm

Thanks for that explanation GM! I'll be sure to inform him as I didn't know as much detail as you've now explained.. I find them all to be hypocrites where xmas is concerned. Xmas to me was always about family time and having lots of food and drink, never anything to do with jesus, his so called birthday.. my mum made me go to church as a kid every xmas.. child abuse :) until I became a teenager and more outspoken about my non belief.. then I was free from the bollocks the minister preached! I'm sick of xtians hav

Comment by emma bailie on November 29, 2012 at 1:03pm

I'm sick of xtians having a go when it suits them!!

Comment by James Cox on November 29, 2012 at 1:04pm

The christians DO NOT OWN XMAS!

The christians DO NOT OWN AMERICA!

The christians DO NOT OWN HONESTY!

The christians DO NOT OWN HISTORY!

Was that too loud?

Comment by Kris Feenstra on November 29, 2012 at 3:13pm

"The christians DO NOT OWN..."

This represents a huge chunk of my grievance with Christianity. I can accept that our views differ, and the way we want to live our may lives differ as well. I can accept that they may or may not approve of my values and that they are free to argue their positions publicly, privately and politically to the extent that democracy allows. The thing that gets my hackles up is the idea that they own words, concepts, ideas or traditions as one might own copyright or trademark.

Comment by Rocky Oliver (LotusGeek) on November 29, 2012 at 3:51pm

@Cody - the start of your post ("...the one day a year they go to church...") reminded me of a great term for those types of churchgoers. I actually learned this from my UU minister (yes, I'm an out-of-the-closet atheist who is also a Unitarian Universalist). He called those type of congregants "CEO members", with CEO standing for Christmas (and) Easter Only.

As for me and my family, we definitely celebrate the Winter Holidays (and yes, we often refer to it as "Christmas", since it is such a part of our lexicon). We all tend to say "Happy Holidays" to others rather than Merry Xmas, and the cards we send out all say something to the affect of Happy Holidays - no religious connotation whatsoever. My kids were raised to understand the respective histories of the holidays around this time of year (all of the big ones, not just Xmas) - the ones we've mainly covered are Xmas (both protestant and Catholic versions), Hannukah, and Kwanzaa. It was much easier for us to cover these because of our UU fellowship - we cover these during RE (Religious Education, or what is commonly referred to as "Sunday School"). They are taught the history, customs, meanings, etc. of the holidays.

Overall, we mainly focus on the fact that we "celebrate" this time of year to give to others ("charity"), reconnect with loved ones, and spend quality time with those we love. They fully understand that, outside of the name, there's really nothing particularly "religious" about Xmas at all unless you make the effort to infuse it into your celebrations.

--Rocky

Comment by Umbra on November 29, 2012 at 4:19pm

Christmas is at its root a set time where people share with each other. Symbolism is very important to us all and we like to and need to be reminded of things past. For Christians it is the birth of Jesus, for pagans it was winter solstice. Btw. we have the pagans to thank for the pine tree tradition.

So, even atheists celebrate and because everyone is celebrating around the same time we may as well join in. Any excuse to party, dude. Albeit that you will not see a crib under my tree.

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