How I Celebrate Christmas As An Atheist

I’ll be keeping this (reasonably) short and (hopefully) sweet — because I know you’ve other things to be doing with your time this week — but I wanted to talk about how I celebrate Christmas as an atheist.

Obviously, atheists don’t subscribe to the ‘birth of Christ’ belief. But, as well as that, some people feel that atheists have no right to celebrate the season at all, or that it’s somehow hypocritical or “cheating”.

Me? I feel that Christmas can be for everyone, not just for Christians.

How and why I celebrate Christmas as an atheist:

For me, Christmas is about family and freedom. It’s about spending time with your nearest and dearest and showing them you care, as well as taking time out for yourself and enjoying a few days of guilt-free delights. It’s about open fires, fleecy blankets, and movie marathons. It’s about decorations, twinkly lights, and boxes of chocolates. It’s about peace, joy, and love. It’s about second chances, and second helpings. It’s about reflection, and a big roast dinner. It’s about late nights and lie-ins. It’s about party frocks and wooly socks.

(Unless you work in retail, of course, in which case it’s all about survival and sprinting for the last train home. Trust me, I’ve been there.)

Just remember that you don’t have to be religious to receive blessings in your life, and you don’t have to have faith in a god to find inner happiness.

Being an atheist just makes me non-religious; it doesn’t make me anti-religion. (Not like that Richard Dawkins fella.) I can appreciate joy and goodwill as much as the next person. I celebrate Christmas as a time of giving and gratitude and fun and festivities.

This Christmas, dear readers, I wish you peace — peace from war, peace from torment, peace from persecution… And peace from anxiety or anguish.

Whatever your religion or non-religion, I wish you peace.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I’ll be back next week with a wrap-up post for December, a review of the current year, and a look forward to the coming year. I may even have a “year in review” worksheet for you to help you figure out what went well and what areas you can build on in 2016. ‘Cause I’m a nice atheist like that. 😉