I'm a Jew on Christmas

[batgirl]

So I dunno how much response this will get but whatever. With all the talk of Christmas, I was wondering what those of us who don't celebrate it did with our weekends. I for one, accumulated a nice pay check by working both Christmas eve and Christmas day in the evening (in fact I'm still working right now). I was a little upset because nothing was open today and I couldn't grab a few essentials for the coming snow blizzard of death, but hey, who am I to complain about the all mighty holiday?

So what did all of you non-Christmas people do? And of course to those who do not celebrate, happy Channukah, happy Kwanzaa and Happy Festivus.

[BitVyper]

What are you the rest of the year?

[Krylo]

Too busy saving lives to worry about whether she needs to see a rabbi or a priest.

[Shyria Dracnoir]

Sorry you had such a hassle shopping and stuff. Hopefully you can find a chance to slack off twice as hard in the near future to compensate.

[BitVyper]

Too busy saving lives to worry about whether she needs to see a rabbi or a priest.

But what about their souls?

[Shyria Dracnoir]

But what about their souls?

I thought most New Yorkers sold their souls to pay for rent money and Yankees tickets, but I could be wrong.

[BitVyper]

Satan can't afford New York rent in this economy.

[Aldurin]

Wait, just because your faith doesn't fit with the holiday doesn't mean you shouldn't take the opportunity to take the day off.

[Bells]

Or in her case, to rake in some very nice extra cash

OY!

I do know a few people who don't celebrate Christmas, although, to be fair, i wouldn't compare them to most organized groups... they are basically emos, pseudo-goths and other sorts of people who like to stay in corners and wear black mostly cause everyone else is doing the opposite of that but society will have to "deal with that"...

My family is not also all that Religiously oriented, so, Christmas for us is just a big party with all your family where we trade gifts, eat good food and stay together for a while.

Also a nice time of the year to do good deeds "just cause". We had a major blackout here on the 24th, up to 10pm! But when the Guys form the Eletrical company came by to fix it, we gave them a few mini-bottles of Soda and some French Toast and turkey just cause it was the holidays and they were working to give us light y'know...

[batgirl]

Wait, just because your faith doesn't fit with the holiday doesn't mean you shouldn't take the opportunity to take the day off.

It's actually my regular day to work and since everyone else in my position celebrates, I'd rather work and give them a chance to be with their families. When I celebrate the Jewish holidays, I know they take my shifts so I do the same for them.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

I don't celebrate Christmas. But the rest of my family does. So I was with them, but celebrating my own made up holiday. I know this sounds suspiciously like a bad excuse, but it works.

[Aldurin]

I don't celebrate Christmas. But the rest of my family does. So I was with them, but celebrating my own made up holiday. I know this sounds suspiciously like a bad excuse, but it works.

The religiously neutral Decemberween?

[Hanuman]

So I dunno how much response this will get but whatever. With all the talk of Christmas, I was wondering what those of us who don't celebrate it did with our weekends. I for one, accumulated a nice pay check by working both Christmas eve and Christmas day in the evening (in fact I'm still working right now). I was a little upset because nothing was open today and I couldn't grab a few essentials for the coming snow blizzard of death, but hey, who am I to complain about the all mighty holiday?

So what did all of you non-Christmas people do? And of course to those who do not celebrate, happy Channukah, happy Kwanzaa and Happy Festivus.
Went to a friends party, drank vodka then sparred for 8 hours.
I'm really, really sore.

[Wigmund]

I'm an agnostic (I don't know and I'm not concerned style) and I celebrate the commercialized version of Christmas multiple times (and fixing to go to my last Xmas gathering now) which is centered around gifts, family and the great Santa.

Gotta love commercialization and how it can strip religious meaning from anything it touches to make it more inclusive.

[Nikose Tyris]

I celebrated the Solstice my usual way, and then I joined my family in the standard secular christmas.

I just like the excuse to be with family.

[A Zarkin' Frood]

The religiously neutral Decemberween?
I don't celebrate none of your pagan satanic weens. Your post number is 1096665. Coincidence? I think not!

No, It's the famous International Love and Peace day I've been furiously advertising since I invented it two years ago. It just happens to be at the same time as Christmas. Really, when it came to picking a date I chose one of those holidays in December, you know? The one everyone says is about Love and Peace already, so I can celebrate my Love and Peace on the same day everyone else celebrates their Love and Peace. Also, presents. But unlike regular Love and Peace day presents aren't mandatory on International Love and Peace day.

I hate to refer to myself as an Atheist, because apparently the U.S. only has militant atheists and other kinds don't exist there. Kinda liek there christians amirite?

[POS Industries]

I don't particularly give two shits about Jesus Day, so last year I treated it like any normal day off and slept until 5 in the afternoon. This year, however, I decided to visit the family like any other year, since the rest of them celebrate and I didn't want them thinking I didn't love them or something on their big important day.

But around 2:30 I headed home and spent the rest of the day alone in my apartment with some leftover pizza.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

If you don't go to Jesus' birthday he won't go to yours. Just saying.

[POS Industries]

You say that as if my birthday tradition hasn't been drinking alone while thinking about buying a gun for years now.

[Krylo]

I don't particularly give two shits about Jesus Day, so last year I treated it like any normal day off and slept until 5 in the afternoon. This year, however, I decided to visit the family like any other year, since the rest of them celebrate and I didn't want them thinking I didn't love them or something on their big important day.

But around 2:30 I headed home and spent the rest of the day alone in my apartment with some leftover pizza.

You say that as if my birthday tradition hasn't been drinking alone while thinking about buying a gun for years now.

It is like we are the same person.

[Art of Hilt]

I didn't do anything.
Christmas is celebrated on January 7th where I'm from.
So I'm on the internet and I go, "NO. TOO EARLY. WHAT IS THIS. COME ONNNN" and generally being culturally insensitive.

[Krylo]

It says you're in Vancouver. Vancouver is in Canada. Canada isn't a primarily Eastern Orthodox country celebrating Christmas per the Julian Calendar. I call shenanigans.

[bluestarultor]

Really, Jesus' birthday would have been sometime in the spring. Right now is the rainy season over there and shepherds would not have been tending their flocks out in the fields.

Can't comment much past that. I'm a Catholic, so my concerns with Christmas are pretty much opposite everyone else's, with my holiday having been hijacked by commercialization and all the pagan traditions being emphasized (although that's partly Christianity's fault for plopping it on a pagan holiday and absorbing all the various traditions. Seriously, Santa is based heavily on Odin. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus#Influence_of_Germanic_paganism_and_fol klore)). And I'm probably pretty much alone on that, since nobody else seems to care.

Really, Christmas really isn't all that different for Christians than it is for anyone else. Everyone's pretty well bought into the secular part of it, so the only other thing added over the average atheist is sitting in church for an hour.


I'd say we're not all so different. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are similar celebrations in the same season and buy into a lot of the same basic traditions. You just don't have signs in malls saying "SIT ON ELIJAH'S LAP! PHOTOS: ELIJAH OR MOSES $5, TWO TABLETS $2.50!"

I mean I know it comes off as insensitive to post that, but that's pretty much the gist of what happened to Christmas. I know full well none of those have a thing to do with Hanukkah (I'm reading about it on Wikipedia right now. It's absolutely fascinating!), but then neither does Santa Claus, or, for that matter, Saint Nicolas, who already has a feast day December 6, with Christmas.


This post kind of spiraled out of control, but I guess the gist of it is, coming from a Catholic, you guys don't have to feel bad about Christmas, or at least not any worse than I do having to see my cousin's son being raised to think a fat immortal in a red suit is bringing half of everyone's presents with a Bag of Holding and sled pulled by flying venison capable of mach speed. Its mainstream backing as a holiday puts it about on the level as Thanksgiving. Just use the season to stay close to the people you love, bitch about the inescapable nature of horrid seasonal music, eat, drink, and be merry. ;)

[Art of Hilt]

It says you're in Vancouver. Vancouver is in Canada. Canada isn't a primarily Eastern Orthodox country celebrating Christmas per the Julian Calendar. I call shenanigans.

I'm in Vancouver for college. Before that I lived in Egypt. The best colleges in Egypt are... not as good as any college in Vancouver, let's put it that way.
While I'm personally not religious, my family (as well as most other Christians in the country) is Coptic.
I'm actually in Egypt right now, visiting the family for New Years. College starts again in the 4th. So I don't actually get to stay around for Christmas. Which is kind of annoying but whatever, you know. As long as I get to see everyone again, even if it's only for a couple of weeks.

[Nique]

I worked. People who do celebrate Christmas called me and yelled at me becuase they did not know how to turn their tv on. Because that is what I do for work.

Oh, well, actually Saturday from like midnight to 4 am we drove up to the mountain and tumbled in the snow for a while, just for kicks. That was cool.

[Magus]

I thought Jewish people went to the movies on Christmas. Not that there was anything that great playing (I saw True Grit last Thursday because I had the day off, that's about it.)

I did what people usually do, opened some presents, ate big dinner, took nap.

[krogothwolf]

Really, Christmas really isn't all that different for Christians than it is for anyone else. Everyone's pretty well bought into the secular part of it, so the only other thing added over the average atheist is sitting in church for an hour.

So in other words... Athiest's get the better version of Christmas.

[Wigmund]

Hell, we can even get drunk over the holidays without anyone except the police giving us hell about overindulging.

I'm in Vancouver for college. Before that I lived in Egypt. The best colleges in Egypt are... not as good as any college in Vancouver, let's put it that way.
While I'm personally not religious, my family (as well as most other Christians in the country) is Coptic.
I'm actually in Egypt right now, visiting the family for New Years. College starts again in the 4th. So I don't actually get to stay around for Christmas. Which is kind of annoying but whatever, you know. As long as I get to see everyone again, even if it's only for a couple of weeks.

A family friend is Greek Orthodox, and my parents will celebrate the Orthodox Christmas with them since they help the friend and his wife with their severely autistic kids.

College starts back up for you on the 4th? I'm out until the 18th. MLK Jr Day is the 17th so we get to start on a Tuesday.

[Fifthfiend]

Among my family's annual Christmas traditions: 'forgetting' to say anything about going to church until my mom says eh screw it we don't gotta go.

[Magus]

But Fifth you have never experienced the horror joy of being in a church Christmas play as a child.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I'm a bigamist at christmas, what am I to do?
Spend it with the family?
I can't, I've got two.