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Comment by luvtheheaven on December 21, 2009 at 6:17am

This is such a great song, thanks for the post!

I like Christmas, I grew up with it, I like giving and getting gifts in a nice happy spirit and being with family members that always get together at this time of year. It's been a tradition in my family and my family doesn't talk about the religious aspect of it, so the people who believe it's the birth of Christ can be happy and those of us who don't really believe in God (I have a feeling a lot of my aunts and uncles have their doubts even though they all claim to be Catholic still... especially my uncle who I just found out was gay like 3 years ago - no wonder he always brings that man to Christmas, he's his life partner I found out LOL). Seriously though we're a very liberal family, everyone in my family is liberal, and my dad was raised Jewish and he's still welcomed and loved by all my mother's Catholic relatives. In fact my mother has 5 siblings, and all 5 of them plus their mother all will NOT welcome my mother into the house where we'll all be this Christmas (my maternal grandmother's house) even though they will most assuredly love my dad bringing me and my brother to the house. My mother's been harassing all of them lately and trying to convince them to get me and my brother to speak with her after we shut the abusive woman out of our lives completely. Needless to say my family enjoys and loves Christmas, and are very accepting of our different religious choices (or lack thereof). I'm pretty sure it's quite apparent that since I chose not to be Confirmed as a Catholic, I don't follow the religion. I don't know if they all assume I believe in God. But I honestly think if I choose to talk about how I've been having a lot of fun on atheist websites and listening to atheist podcasts lately because I've decided I'm definitely an atheist, they wouldn't care at all. ;) I'm looking forward to Christmas this year. Especially because my mom won't be around to ruin it, for the third year in a row! :D

Comment by Ronna Humphries on December 20, 2009 at 1:57pm

S S Tragus, it's just a matter of convenience -- it just so happens that people often get time off of work and school at this particular time of year, so people are more able to get together for family time.
I agree with you though -- we as atheists should know better, that we can go out of our way to buy gifts and spend time with people we love any time of the year.
Anyway, I really love the video! Especially the part where he goes, "Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are dodgy." I laughed so hard. <3 Tim Minchin.

Comment by Reggie on December 14, 2009 at 1:10pm

I have a much more docile view of Christmas. I also have religious family, but I don't make my plans based on how it will affect their delusions. I refuse to give religion even that amount of control over my life. But, when it comes time for the holidays for atheists, I say to each their own.

Comment by S S Tragus on December 14, 2009 at 9:44am

Some nice sentiments of getting together with family, even if not agreeing with Christian doctrine or the places and implements of indoctrination there. However, why should we, as atheists, wait for this particular time to get together with family? For me, getting together with people during their Christmas, gives support to their silly, superstitious holiday. My strong aversion might stem from the fact that my mother and sister are very religious and feel, if my partner and I do visit, that Jesus brought us all together. They see that togetherness in that light and, while I like getting together with family, I will not do it on Christmas day, or Easter, and I will not go to church with them, because I will not provide such false hope.

I know there are a number of prominent atheists, and possibly many others, who continue to go through the motions of celebrating Christmas, choosing to view it as a secular holiday now, or even rationalising that Christianity adopted the holiday from pagan traditions, but the fact remains that, since Christianity's appropriation of the holiday, it is Christian, no matter how diluted by commercialism. If we want family time, we can do that on our own time. If we want to celebrate and give gifts, we can do that on our own time.