John Snider over at “American Freethought“, source of a podcast I very much enjoy, posted a message asking how folks deal with the holidays. i.e. do we avoid all things “Christmas” or go with the flow…
Here is my response:
Hi John,
I enjoy the whole of the winter holiday season. There seems so little left of religiosity by the time both the religions and the merchandisers get through with it that there isn’t very much to take exception to.
The Christmas music is pleasant, I enjoy gift giving (and receiving), I love seeing my family and having an excuse to see my friends even more often than usual under festive circumstances.
My friends know me as an avowed atheist and we are all respectful of each other as there are some quite religious folks numbered among them. We have occasional spirited debates but they aren’t at all stressful for me and, I earnestly believe, they are informative for my sparring partner(s).
It’s hard to get upset over the quaint rituals of outdated 2000 year old bronze-age sky god ramblings or with their reinvention as marketing tools that, as a byproduct, give this time of year it’s uniqueness…
Marc