GingerRose Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 I do not celebrate it, but where I live, it's assumed that you celebrate Christmas or Hanukah. If you don't celebrate either, people are deeply confused by your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Yes, but secularly. We don't believe in the religious aspect but its kind of habit at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurta Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Yes, both from a gift-giving and a religious perspective. I don't think I've ever met anyone from my country who didn't celebrate it (other religions are not really big around here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelle Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Yes, but rather for the atmosphere and all, than for religion. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceebs Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Yeah, quietly and in a secular way. Lights, decorations, favourite music and films, little traditions. Although I do actually enjoy the Christmas story and the general message of the religious aspect of the season, and a lot of beautiful music has come from the more spiritual side of the holiday. I like the pagan Yule stories and traditions, too (and obviously a lot of the Christian stuff has roots in pagan practices). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveb Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 another secular celebrant here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePapercraftingCat Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 I celebrate Christmas, but not in a religious way. I just like the festive season and it's nice decorating the house with lights and seeing it all lit up in the cold dark nights. Christmas is also very nostalgic for me, so I like the nostalgia of it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn ace Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Yes, secularly Edited November 3, 2023 by Autumn ace I confused the definition of secular and non-secular 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 I have chosen to not celebrate it for years, for reasons, but when I moved back to my home town last year I was invited to my youngest brother's for Christmas. There were only 5of us, and it was a nice day. This year I will be doing so on Boxing Day. I still don't care for Christmas, but it is nice to spend some time with them. I also get just the four or them a present. So I have ticked sort of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrel Combat Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 Yes. Not for the religious reasons, though we have gone to church when Christmas fell on a Sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virelai Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 Yes, but purely secularly (aside from listening to some of the old Christian carols, but I listen to a lot of old and ancient Christian music to begin with, not for religious reasons at all as i am not religious). So many of the traditions we have as Christmas today are rooted in ancient Pagan traditions surrounding the winter solstice, so it's very practical to go back to the root reasons for the holiday - the winter solstice. Winter is my favorite season, and December is one of my top favorite months, so I enjoy celebrating it! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelico Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 Yes, both religiously and secularly, I guess you could say...but like...I mostly enjoy the giving/getting presents part the most. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilMush Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 So I celebrate secularly, but my family celebrates religiously and so I am heavily involved in the church aspect of it through proxy. For me the religious aspect is just for tradition and community. I know all the people at the church and my congregation is very liberal leaning, and I grew up with them so I wouldn't remover it from my traditions because it would feel like removing extended family from my celebration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bare_trees Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 I didn't for awhile but I do now because my partner's family does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerRose Posted November 4, 2023 Author Share Posted November 4, 2023 On 11/1/2023 at 2:02 AM, Arna Sou said: I have chosen to not celebrate it for years, for reasons, but when I moved back to my home town last year I was invited to my youngest brother's for Christmas. There were only 5of us, and it was a nice day. This year I will be doing so on Boxing Day. I still don't care for Christmas, but it is nice to spend some time with them. I also get just the four or them a present. So I have ticked sort of. I feel to be in a similar situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldgeeza Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 Due to many personal reasons I prefer to stay away, work or do something constructive rather than celebrating something religious when, apart from funerals, I don't attend church, I feel a bit two faced celebrating. I'm not against religion or the celebration of religious things, it's just not my thing, I don't even bother with my birthday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 No, not surprisingly because I'm Jewish. However, every year I get a Christmas carol stuck in my head (usually the The Bells) and it stays where for about a month, which is kind of nice. There are no pretty Hanukkah songs since it's basically a political/religious freedom holiday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegreatwolf Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 I put sort of, due to combining some of the secular traditions from when I was young , with more pagan rituals having to do with yule due to following pagan beliefs now as an adult, if that make sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloomy Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 I’m an atheist who celebrates Christmas secularly. Although this year I’m visiting my religious grandma for Christmas so maybe my dad and I will do religious celebrations with her. I’m actually kinda curious how religious people celebrate it since I haven’t celebrated it that way in years. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
,., Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 Sort of. Admittedly, we are not celebrating it in a religious fashion. Think 'Toy Day' in Animal Crossing. We're celebrating eating and giving and receiving gifts. Well, and also meeting relatives. It's mostly drama free but does have a few 'boys in the bar' vibes with how people 'discuss' politics or religion. It's mostly venting and shitting on a vague concept of 'the elites'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Maid Librarian Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 Another secular celebrant here. Primarily into the peace and good will aspect and the good childhood memories. I make some of my major charitable contributions in December, although that isn't the only time of the year I donate. I like to listen to favorite Xmas songs from childhood and put out a couple old decorations. I do send a few cards to people I want to stay in touch with and have my once a year phone call with my cousin on Christmas morning. Otherwise I just give my cat a toy Christmas morning and maybe have some seasonal treats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ochre_orchid Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 Sort of. The holiday is older than Christianity in my country, and most of the traditions are millennia old. What we celebrate is a mix of ancient roots and new traditions. I'd say that the only Christian part that has made it into our Yule celebration is the star. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanwen Posted November 22, 2023 Share Posted November 22, 2023 In our strange family way. My dad died just before Christmas in 1967, and my mother mourned him till her death in 2010. Christmas was NOT the most pleasant time of year, and even after she died I couldn't get in the 'Christmas mood', didn't help by that time I was working in retail. I don't know what changed when I moved into my new home in 2020 (yes, THAT year), just me and the three dogs. I enjoyed myself at CHristmas for the first time since I was 16 (1966) Last year my daughter in law suggested that rather than spending money none of us have on gifts no-one really likes that we had a 'Secret Santa' max of £10 in value, we had a bring something to put on the table and had an interesting dinner. Afterwards a game of Cards Against Humanity had everyone in stitches. We're doing the same this year but the game will be 'Outsmarted'; the idea is to make memories not debts for the coming year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerus Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I used to celebrate it... Things kind of went off the rails after my older brother passed away in 2013 then totally derailed since my father had a stroke in 2017 and passed in 2019. Now my mother just gives me set amount of money and tells me to buy things off the net for myself. Also even though I renewed my faith back in 2021, I don't really go to church. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBear Posted January 10, 2024 Share Posted January 10, 2024 Yes, but sort of. We are alle atheists, however it has become a tradition, so we do decorate the tree and the house and put up a nativity scene, and we eat fish and not neat on Christmas eve... however that's simply because it's a tradition, it has no religious meaning for us 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iff Posted November 2, 2024 Share Posted November 2, 2024 @GingerRose This poll is being locked and moved to the read only Census archive for it's respective year. As part of ongoing Census organisation, and in an attempt to keep the demographics of the polls current with the active user base at the time, the polls will last for one year from now on. However, members are allowed and even encouraged to restart new polls similar to the archived ones if they like them. iff, Census Forum Moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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