Would you rather...

[Veronica]

I think Christmas is going down the path that Valentine's Day and All Hallows Eve have already trod, albeit a bit more slowly. Those also began as religious festivals. Early Christian leaders tied the birth of Jesus to already existing pagan festivals. It's more likely he was actually born in September. Yes, many Christians still celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday, but many people embrace the holiday without the religious aspects.

I'd have no problem with the whole country shutting down for non Christian holidays. I'd love more time off! Bring 'em on.

It's true that majority of our students are Christian. Our district population is mainly black, Hispanic and Filipino. I do have 4 Islamic families this year. For 4 years in a row I had a Hindi family. Awesome kids - a brother and sister who looped with me. I got Christmas cards from the kids every year, but I'm pretty sure they themselves did not celebrate Christmas.

Veronica

[Helene2013]

I don't care much about the whole thing....just that it gives me extra days off. I'm on vacation for 2 weeks, costing me only 4 days (3 personal and 1 overtime done). Good enough for me.

[Crankin]

Just want to say that the inclusiveness of this forum made it feel safe enough to express my opinion, without fear of being flamed!
And Pam, yes, there are plenty of Jewish people who put up a tree, etc., because, I think they are appreciating the fun and secular things about the holiday. But, if they dug a little deeper, they might find some traditions in their own religion that were just as nice. I am not that religious anymore, and even when I participated a lot more, I belonged (and still do) to a very progressive, non-affiliated synagogue. It provided a wonderful setting to teach my kids values, in a non-dogmatic way.

[Eden]

Maybe it's from not being raised in any religion, but I feel I have the freedom to be happy and celebrate with anyone that I am in the company of and share in their traditions as much as they care to share them with no guilt about being disloyal….. I can't say as I've ever felt unwelcome either - in general I find people love to share their customs and are happy to have you, even if you know little - They'll help you to know what's happening and forgive your faux pas as long as you show that you are interested and are willing to try things. While there are certainly some religious communities who are not particularly welcoming of outsiders, most people are and most people don't think you need to be a convert to celebrate with them.

Going to the Shinto and Buddhist shrines on New Years Eve in Kyoto was a blast. I can only hope to have many more experiences in my life like it.

[lph]

I'm one of the ones sort of waiting for it all to be over. Thats sounds grumpy, but it's not that I don't enjoy some aspects of Christmas. I'm as atheist as they come, but I've still always felt that the most religious songs and rituals around Christmas are the most appealing, maybe because they carry so much meaning. Norway is full of traditions and songs linked to the pagan origin, but I was raised on and love the big, stirring Christian hymns. The newborn child, the great hope, his awful fate, the ultimate sacrifice - this is an extremely powerful story, no matter if you believe in it literally or not. And I think precisely because I empathise with the big emotions that underlie Christmas, I'm always disappointed. I never do turn into a better person, just because it's Christmas. Nor do my family. I dearly love some of them, I put up with some of them, and I have complicated, unsolved issues with a few of them. But none of this magically improves just because it's Christmas and goodwill to all men, especially the loved ones you're supposed to be having a wonderful time with.
Much of this is connected to it being mid-winter, a time of year when I am at my most moody and sentimental and least optimistic, and also indoors a lot, watching tv and reading the newspapers. If it happened in mid-summer, when I'd be too busy running around outside to pick up on everybody else's idea of what Christmas should be like, I'd probably wouldn't give a hoot ;-)
To end in a positive note - I positively LOVE getting gifts from friends, and giving them. They are never obliged to give me anything, so a gift truly means they like me and want to give me something. The same goes for going out to concerts and suchlike.

[lauraelmore1033]

I'm with the waiting for it to be over group. We live one mile away from the mall and the freeway, so from Thanksgiving to new years, it is a major ordeal just getting ANYWHERE. I didn't come from a religious family, so I grew up feeling very confused about the holiday. As a kid, I did enjoy giving and receiving gifts, but had trouble attaching any meaning to all the hoopla. I enjoyed making a Christmas experience for my kids when they were little, but now that they are grown, it just seems like a big, flashy ordeal which gets worse with each passing year.

[PamNY]

This is not really on topic, but I'm sharing it anyway. This is a GoPro video of Christmas lights in Brooklyn. The neighborhood is well-known for elaborate decorations and draws quite a crowd. I wonder what happens if you live there and don't want to decorate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROgABL7F4F8