It always bothers me a little that people can say Merry Christmas and think nothing of it, but if you reply with Happy Kwanza, Happy Hannukah, etc, they get offended, or at the least they are made uncomfortable. I don't want people to say merry christmas and assume that I am on board with their religious definition of christmas. Has christmas assimilated itself enough into society that its not just a religious holiday?

You just say "Merry Christmas" and I think the answer to the last question is yes. Atheists like holidays too, especially with presents.

Say, "Thank you."

You could, assuming you don't want them to have a sad Christmas, say "You, too."

You could decide you don't have to make everything revolve around yourself and just accept good wishes and perhaps offer a few yourself.

I consider Christmas to be a solstice celebration intended to distract people from the depressing nature of that time of year. It should not get the attention it does, IMO, but that's not going to change.

I really don't like the Holiday Season, and am just glad when January 2nd rolls around. I spent the Holiday Season in Vegas one year and was pleasantly surprised that the Strip understates Christmas. Not a whole lot of Christmas BS in Vegas.

I started thinking about a good place to travel to during the holidays where I could COMPLETELY AVOID Christmas. I checked on Morocco, a Muslim country, but found that it gets overrun with Brits celebrating Christmas, and of course the locals respond to that in a Christmasy way. There was a link I found to a young Muslim's forum where people complained about having to respond to Merry Christmas, invitations to parties, etc.

Christmas is just a huge bother, not just in US but around the world.

Short answer: yes.

No one ever thinks anything of saying "good bye," either, despite the fact that the root of that saying is "God be with ye." The same goes for "bless you" after sneezes. These are cultural practices that have largely evolved into meaningless customs and rituals.

So I'm the selfish one for not wanting to accept their religious greeting, and not them for getting offended if I reciprocate with 'happy Hannukah'?

You're just a dick

Funny someone should bring this up, as just yesterday, my area had its first snowfall. In celebration, I put on some Christmas music.

I realized that the worst part of renouncing my Christian upbringing is the internal conflict I experience when listening to Jesus-related Christmas tunes. God, how I love Christmas music.

Personally, I love christmas.

I've thought about this as well. So much beautiful art and music is religious-themed.

Happy Festivus?

I'm sure this would be your exact reaction to people wishing you well on Satan Day.

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To the OP, you could give them the same crinkly-nosed smile you would give a 6 year old who just told you his dog can fly, with a little hum that can be interpreted as "yes" or as "that's nice."

For what its worth, I'm a little surprised by the tone of the replies so far. Plenty of people, not just atheists, don't celebrate Christmas, and genuinely feel a little funny or uncomfortable about the "Merry Christmas" stuff. It doesn't make them anti-social, or a dick.

On the other hand, are people really getting offended when you tell them "Happy Kwanza," or are you just assuming that they will? I've never seen that..

On the third hand, I do work with a bunch of bona fide young republican Christian conservative *******s, and with almost no provocation at all, they will commiserate about how the liberals and communists and atheists and gays and whoever else are at war with Christmas, and they are god damned sick of it! So who knows...

Are you saying "Happy Kwanza/Hannukah" just to offend them or are you actually celebrating these holidays? Just trying to offend them is kind of dick move. I guess many people don't even mean it just like with "how are you?". It's just the expected thing to say.
I am a die-hard atheist and I have thought long and hard what to make of Christmas.I have to admit that I like the idea of having a holiday when people are usually nice and give each other presents. The roots of christmas are in the pagan winter solstice celebrations anyway so for me it's just that. I have wished others a "Happy winter solstice" although sometimes there is a slip of the tongue and I still say merry christmas. Old habits die hard. For me "happy winter solstice" is a way of saying I share your seasonal joy but for me the holiday means something different.

thankyou, merry christmas to you too

yup - also impolite "They" aren't posting here.


BTW, are you Jewish?

Well just like it and feel good. It's a nice thing - peace and light coming to the world. Rudolph's red nose, Frosty, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum

enjoy

Everything doesn't have to be fraught with life-altering implications.

I'll let you know if someone does so.

What do you think a Satanist would be wishing me on "Satan Day?" Love, peace and joy?

There are different forms of Satanism eg. LaVey's "Church Of Satan" is more a freethinking philosophy than a religion because it contains no transcendental elements. They just chose Satan as a symbol to represent a rejection of traditional judeo-christian values.
So, yes, someone might be wishing you love, peace and joy with his "happy Satan Day" greeting.

No, but since I'm not the member of any religion, happy hannukah, merry christmas, and happy flying spaghetti monster day have about the same meaning to me from a religious standpoint. Maybe I'm too uptight, but I don't want any christians thinking I accept their 'merry christmas' as a religious equal. Most people problem mean nothing by saying merry christmas I suppose.

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of a song such as 'O Holy Night' (a song that I love, btw).

I can think of being 10 years old and seeing my grandmother brought to tears by Bing Crosby's rendition.

It is difficult to resolve the kind of conflict that arises when I hear a song like that, think about its place in my childhood, and then try and relate that to my current mode of thinking.

Well, first, you certainly have made yourself terribly important, haven't you, being that if anyone were to make an innocent wrong assumption about you it would apparently screw up your life so much you want to be sure to screw up their simple well-meant greeting and make sure that moment is ALL ABOUT YOU. Maybe you can make some sort of big point about atheism to a stranger in a Wal-mart store line who is already having enough troubles in life but wanted to offer you some good wishes. Good idea - very classy.

Grow the f up. I personally, knowing you are an atheist, hope on Christmas day, you have a lovely day with your family, self or recently contracted-for companion in the gender of your choice.

You are in dire need of watching Harvey.

Maybe I'm just too old, but really, you don't have to have conflict, I don't think. You know what the song evokes for you, a time and person, moments you surely don't want to forget. So let the season and songs be about that for you. These moments you cherish.

Look, I don't accept every single thing in anyone's dogma including my own Church. I'm still a Catholic Christian. You can accept the history of your life, the parts you want to preserve for yourself without having to embrace every single thing that the songs or trees or family gatherings imply.

Just feel good about what feels good. Let the other stuff go.

Happy Holidays works pretty well.

Perhaps it's a whole different topic, but being christian is okay, but it horrifies people when you tell them you're an atheist. Why do you think so many people keep their atheism to themselves? And as far as me being selfish, a lot of Christians would get quite offended if you said happy hannukah to them, and would instantly correct you on which holiday they are celebrating. Why shouldn't an atheist be entitled to do the same?

I usually respond "Merry Christmas to you, too." I don't think it means I am on board with their religious definition of Christmas, and the expression is ubiquitus so I doubt many would take it that way. But even if they did, it wouldn't matter to me.

I'm not sure I've ever been greeted with Happy Kwanza, or Happy Hannukah. If I was, I would respond with the same greeting - assuming that that is what the greeter is celebrating, and hoping that they will enjoy it. I would be surprised though, to hear Happy Hannukah as my Jewish friends always seem bemused by this idea of a "Jewish Christmas."

To me, Merry Christmas or anything similar is simply a polite greeting, that warrants a polite reply.