I Don't Want to Share Your Christmas
Are you celebrating Christmas? I'm not. Why should I? I'm not Christian. I'm not religious in any way. I have no reason to celebrate Christmas. Do you celebrate Christmas? You know what, don't bother answering, because I don't care. And that's how it should be.
I get a lot of people telling me what I should celebrate Christmas, for one reason or another. Non-Christians will tell me that Christmas isn't really a Christian holiday. You know what? I don't care. Christians who encourage me to celebrate Christmas insist that they wouldn't be offended and would love to see me enjoy it. They say that the Christians who tell me not to celebrate Christmas "aren't True Christians." You know what? I don't care.
Before I stopped celebrating Christmas, I got this same crap, only in reverse, from both Christians and non-Christians. Christians would act offended at my celebration of their holiday, while non-Christians would accuse me of facilitating a sort of "Christian dominance" in American culture. Well, I say to both parties: I don't care. I just don't care.
Common sense tells us that Christmas is a Christian holiday. I mean, it's called Christmas. Sure, it stole traditions from Yule and from Saturnalia. And I'm not saying that Christmas is an original holiday. It isn't. If we say that Christmas is a Christian holiday, well: I'm not a Christian. And if we say that it's a pagan holiday, well: I'm not a pagan, either. Is this why I don't celebrate? It might be. Is it any of your business? Not really.
I have to wonder why atheists are sometimes criticized for not celebrating Christmas (often by other atheists), but Muslims and Jews aren't. I've even been told that my lack of celebration is "stupid" and "rebellious," by an atheist that didn't even bother to ask me why it is that I don't celebrate! Would anyone call me "stupid" or "rebellious" for not celebrating Ramadan or Hanukkah? I haven't been called these things for not celebrating those holidays, but I find it interesting to note that the people who accuse me of rebelliousness not only don't bother to ask why I don't celebrate Christmas, they don't bother to ask if I grew up in a Christian household, as opposed to a Muslim household or a Jewish household (or any other religious household).
Use your imagination for a minute. Assume that I grew up in a Jewish household. Now, as a non-religious person who celebrates neither Hanukkah nor Christmas, wouldn't it be ironic for people to accuse me of being rebellious for not celebrating Christmas? What if I was a religious Hanukkah-celebrating Jew? How much sense would it make for someone to call me rebellious (for not celebrating Christmas) then?
As a non-religious person, I have no reason to celebrate religious holidays, including Christmas. Furthermore, Christmas simply has no appeal to me. But I don't need to justify the fact that I don't celebrate. I'm not on trial--something that people often forget. I have the freedom not to celebrate whatever holiday for whatever reason I want. I don't have to explain myself to anyone. Learn to accept the fact that I don't celebrate your holiday, and get over it. Your holiday isn't a big deal to me, so don't force it on me. That's impolite.
I get a lot of people telling me what I should celebrate Christmas, for one reason or another. Non-Christians will tell me that Christmas isn't really a Christian holiday. You know what? I don't care. Christians who encourage me to celebrate Christmas insist that they wouldn't be offended and would love to see me enjoy it. They say that the Christians who tell me not to celebrate Christmas "aren't True Christians." You know what? I don't care.
Before I stopped celebrating Christmas, I got this same crap, only in reverse, from both Christians and non-Christians. Christians would act offended at my celebration of their holiday, while non-Christians would accuse me of facilitating a sort of "Christian dominance" in American culture. Well, I say to both parties: I don't care. I just don't care.
Common sense tells us that Christmas is a Christian holiday. I mean, it's called Christmas. Sure, it stole traditions from Yule and from Saturnalia. And I'm not saying that Christmas is an original holiday. It isn't. If we say that Christmas is a Christian holiday, well: I'm not a Christian. And if we say that it's a pagan holiday, well: I'm not a pagan, either. Is this why I don't celebrate? It might be. Is it any of your business? Not really.
I have to wonder why atheists are sometimes criticized for not celebrating Christmas (often by other atheists), but Muslims and Jews aren't. I've even been told that my lack of celebration is "stupid" and "rebellious," by an atheist that didn't even bother to ask me why it is that I don't celebrate! Would anyone call me "stupid" or "rebellious" for not celebrating Ramadan or Hanukkah? I haven't been called these things for not celebrating those holidays, but I find it interesting to note that the people who accuse me of rebelliousness not only don't bother to ask why I don't celebrate Christmas, they don't bother to ask if I grew up in a Christian household, as opposed to a Muslim household or a Jewish household (or any other religious household).
Use your imagination for a minute. Assume that I grew up in a Jewish household. Now, as a non-religious person who celebrates neither Hanukkah nor Christmas, wouldn't it be ironic for people to accuse me of being rebellious for not celebrating Christmas? What if I was a religious Hanukkah-celebrating Jew? How much sense would it make for someone to call me rebellious (for not celebrating Christmas) then?
As a non-religious person, I have no reason to celebrate religious holidays, including Christmas. Furthermore, Christmas simply has no appeal to me. But I don't need to justify the fact that I don't celebrate. I'm not on trial--something that people often forget. I have the freedom not to celebrate whatever holiday for whatever reason I want. I don't have to explain myself to anyone. Learn to accept the fact that I don't celebrate your holiday, and get over it. Your holiday isn't a big deal to me, so don't force it on me. That's impolite.
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posted by squarecircle at
2:54 AM
2 Comments:
Good for you.
I wish I didn't celebrate sometimes. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper.
Celebrate Christmas for the presents.
I do.
I love how its been spun into a materialistic consumer based holiday.
And I say that with all my heart.
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