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Merry Christmas - From an Atheist



The imaginary war on Christmas that many American Christians have invented as part of their persecution complex is, to me, somewhat comical.  I just wanted to give some of my thoughts on this faux war and describe what Christmas means to me.

I celebrate Christmas; in fact, I love Christmas.  Admittedly, it has no religious value to me whatsoever.  I doubt Jesus was ever a historical figure, and if his existence were proven to me I would be uninterested in this revelation because there is no way to convince me he was anything but a charlatan--just an ordinary man who duped people into believing he was a deity.  I genuinely enjoy Christmas music, family get-togethers, good food, and giving/receiving gifts.  I enjoy the way children make-believe in Santa Clause, and the excitement they show when they are given an awesome toy.  My birthday is actually on December 25!  To me, personally, these are the things I like about Christmas and the reason I celebrate it with my family. 

It's ok to tell me "Merry Christmas."  Many atheists shutter at being wished a merry Christmas, and I am keen on the reasons why.  Christians, on the other hand, are clueless.  They think that the secular society wants to abolish Christmas for some reason, and I don't know why it ever got to that point.  So if you are a Christian, I want to explain to you why it is rude to insist on wishing a merry Christmas to all non-Christians.

There are an abundance of holidays being celebrated in December.  Just off the top of my head, without resorting to Google for all the rest of them, I can think of Kwanza, Hanukah, and the winter solstice.  When I was a kid, I used to think that people said "Happy Holidays" because Christmas and New Year's were so close together and it was a shorthand for saying "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."  As I learned about the myriad of cultures in these United States and the other religious and secular holidays celebrated in December, "Happy Holidays" made a lot more sense to me. 

As an American Christian, you'd think it was weird if in early-to-mid-October somebody walked up to you and said "Happy Canadian Thanksgiving."  Equally awkward would be if in February somebody said "Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day" (Russian), or if in May somebody wished you a "Happy Cheung Chau Bun Festival" (Chinese).  What if every December there were Happy Hanukah displays littering your hometown and every Jew became angry and critical if you tried to explain that Hanukah is a meaningless expression to you?

Insisting that everybody celebrate or even acknowledge YOUR holiday is rude and ignorant.  It'd be like if you knew a person who never wished anybody a happy birthday, ever, except when it was HIS birthday.  It is polite of you to acknowledge that Christmas is not universally recognized or celebrated, and it is rudely presumptuous to do the opposite. 

When people correct you, and suggest that you say "Happy Holidays," they don't mean to tell you that you can't celebrate Christmas, or even to suggest that you can't wish a merry Christmas to a person you KNOW celebrates the day.  I always say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukah" to those who I know celebrate each day respectively.  If I don't know what day the person celebrates, I say "Happy Holidays," but sometimes I slip up and say "Merry Christmas," and if I catch myself, I quickly correct it by adding "or Happy Holidays." 

I believe this is respectful and polite.  Manufacturing an inferiority/persecution complex in your attempt to guilt others into acknowledging YOUR special day that is meaningless to many others, is highly inconsiderate. 

Even though I don't believe in God, it's ok to wish me a "Merry Christmas" because I celebrate the commercialized version of the holiday.  I suggest that you Christians open your mind to the views of those differing from yours rather than pretend that the heathens are fighting to destroy your holiday.

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