How To Enjoy Christmas as an Atheist

The holidays are drawing near, and it is a very special time for many people, including Atheist and agnostic people. There is a section of the non-religious community that believes that Christmas time is reserved for Christians. That isn't the case. Though Christmas is a contraction meaning “Christ's Mass," it is predated by many different winter celebrations. Saturnalia, celebrated by the Romans on approximately December 17 through 23rd, commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god, Saturn. They then celebrated Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun," on December 25th. In late December to early January, the Scandinavian pagans celebrated Yule, honoring Thor, the God of Thunder.

Many Christians would have you believe that Christmas is rightfully theirs, but it simply is not, and everyone should be free to celebrate the holidays in his or her own way. If you are not religious, and you would like to celebrate the holidays and not feel like a traitor, here are some ideas and activities that I enjoy with my family. Believe it or not, you may see what we do as just as traditional as the way you celebrate.

1. Go caroling. Yes, you read that correctly. We do go caroling, but we don't sing hymns from the traditional Christian library. We sing of grandmas being run over by reindeer, and Jingle Bell Rock, and dreams of a white Christmas. Good times! If you do a little digging, there are many holiday carols with no religious overtones.

2. Help feed the less fortunate. In my household, we exchange our gifts on Winter Solstice, on the 22nd of January. On December 25th, we volunteer at the homeless shelter and the soup kitchen. I have never felt more emotionally connected with the earth than when I am giving a hot meal to a child, and seeing the look on his face that says, “Thank you for caring enough to be here.” Many times, the overwhelming surge of emotion has brought me to tears.

3. Make quality time for your family. Throughout the year, many of us get so involved with work that our families see us as regular visitors instead of family members! During the holidays, try to make the best of that holiday break and spend every minute with the family that loves you. There are so many things you can do together, and every extra second that you spend with them will bring you that much closer. Light a Yule log and make some hot apple cider and enjoy the company of your loved ones.

4. Decorate! Yes, we can decorate! More often than not, about 75% of the decorations you see are secular. In the remainder, you will find the symbolic nativity scenes, the crosses, and the wise men. We have Santa Claus, the reindeer, and snowflakes! Okay, we don't have them, but they are perfectly appropriate for celebrating the holidays without the religious symbolism. I must point out that the Santa Claus issue is, for many atheists, a sensitive issue. Many of us let our kids in on the secret at an early age, and others utilize the whole Santa Clause belief system as a convenient way of pre-holiday child behavior control. To each his own, right? 

In case you haven't caught on yet, the holidays don't differ too much whether they're celebrated by religious people or the secular segment of the population. We are free to pick and choose what makes us happy, without the fear of feeling like hypocrites. We all need to embrace the holiday season as a time for Atheists, Christians, and everyone else to come together. It is a time to look to your neighbor and celebrate the things that you have in common instead of focusing on your differences. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. It doesn't get better than that.