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Happy Thanksgiving - and yes, I am an agnostic atheist. I consider this holiday as a way to be grateful for family and friends, not to a god but just to be appreciative of everyone and everything. I come from a very staunch Christian background and these holidays used to have a different meaning but now it's just a way of celebrating life and coming together with the ones you love.
I see nothing wrong with celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas because they can take on whatever meaning you apply to them. Christmas was originally a pagan holiday anyway whether these religious numb skulls realize it or not. Are you totally against these holidays? Are you more of a Halloween/St. Patty's Day person? At least you get time off for Christmas and Thanksgiving.
I'm host both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a Christmas tree and do presents and the whole thing. In fact celebrating holidays was one of the reasons my religious mother gave for shunning me. Her group is against any kind of celebration, including birthdays, because of the pagan origins.
never believed in god so I never really worried about doing something because of no god or what 'they do". I don't worry about a statement of belief about god (for or against) type people num skulls. I was born into thanksgiving and christmas and, like you say, it has many meanings, giving to others and being thankful are ok by me.
Thanks? is just that, a place to place a human emotion. I am thankful for many things. Maybe I should be more than once a year. Christmas ... I love the lights and time off. For me its about giving. I should do that a little more often too then once a year too.
I'm host both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a Christmas tree and do presents and the whole thing. In fact celebrating holidays was one of the reasons my religious mother gave for shunning me. Her group is against any kind of celebration, including birthdays, because of the pagan origins.
Today, I will enjoy good cheer with family. On Christmas, I will do so again.
As for 'thanks', I see no particular reason to be more appreciate or aware of what I have - and as a middle-class person in the first world, to say nothing of other accidents of my birth, I realize that I've got it pretty good - on this day as opposed to yesterday or tomorrow.
Christmas I've been trying to ditch for years but as long as my in-laws are alive it's just not possible. They go all out but at home we are pretty minimal.
Dude! How did you miss that in my posts? If it weren't for that I'd still be trying to hid the religious abuse behind a wall of denial. Yes, my mom shunned me after I had been gone from the religion for 27 years.
I celebrate both in completely secular ways. I don’t “give Thanks”, rather I have a nice meal with family and friends as a social event.
For Christmas, I don’t celebrate the birth of an incarnate god, I get a tree, decorate the house with pretty lights, give a few select gifts for my wife and a couple of friends, relax and do a bit of socializing.
It’s much more about the day off and commonality of schedules than anything else. I do similar things for other holidays, decorate, visit, have a meal, watch fireworks, have a party.
When I host, I eliminate all silly prayers, moments of silence, and go-around-the-circle-and-say-something rituals. When I go to others homes, I excuse myself from these things.
No way I'm getting out of "participating" in these holidays. My religious nazi spouse sees to this. I'm currently cooking the turkey. If they want to pray they will have to find someone else. I very much still like the food and family time. The spilling of my wallet, no so much.
Thanksgiving yes, Christmas no. You don't need religion to be thankful for family and friends. Although we will have Thanksgiving on Friday so friends with family obligations can come.
Our "winter" holiday will be the big solstice party on Dec 21. Living in the northern part of the US, the lengthening days are very welcome.
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