Are you happy to be in someone’s thoughts? Are you angry that someone was presumptuous? Does it make a difference if the card is a general “Seasons Greetings” as opposed to a “Merry Christmas”?
How do you respond? Throw it away? Display it on your mantle? Sigh wearily?
I tape it to my wall with my other Christmas cards, happy that my friends and family have thought of me and took the time to send me well wishes. Then I return the thought by sending a “blessed solstice” card. Or a humorous, non-Christian Christmas card (santa and reindeer for example).
I respect others’ beliefs to practice Christianity and celebrate Christian holidays. Some of my friends and family respect my belief to practice a pagan religion and celebrate pagan holidays.
I still buy presents, because I know people will be giving me presents. (That part is a pagan tradition anyway.) I still bake and give away cookies (pagan). I put up stockings for the dogs and cats (pagan). Had I a fireplace, I’d burn a yule log (pagan).
It’s not a big deal.
Most of the ones I get don’t have a religious theme to them but I still don’t care for them. I get no notes or cards teling me how much people care about me for eleven months and then I get a bunch in December telling me all about peace, happiness, joy, good times…
Do people not care about me the rest of the year? To me, even without the the religious part, it seems forced and phoney,ie “I have to send cards because thats what people do.” To be nice I stick mine on top of the refrigerator until Xmas day then I throw them in the recycle bin. Also, I don’t send cards.
It’s my feeling that us atheists shouldn’t really care. It may be a religious festival, but it’s also a societal tradition, so I send cards happily, receive them happily, and they all go up on the mantlepiece or the wall. I might also go to Midnight Mass this year too, for the tradition, spectacle, and the singing.
I am glad that people think well enough of me that they want to include me in their thoughts for peace, love and joy.
I am not a Christian. But I believe in making people happy. So I like to send cards and presents, the end of the year is a good time to do it. Anyway Xmas doesn’t have much to do with Christianity any more (if it ever really did).
Cheers, Keithy
I think, “Oh, that’s sweet of them to think of me.” I don’t care if it says Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Festive Soltice for that matter. IMHO, if people are trying to be nice, you should always think well of their efforts.
And I generally chuck cards, because I don’t have any place in my tiny apartment for bits of sentimental paper. I throw out cards and postcards from other times of year as well, it’s not particular to the holiday season. If a card contains a letter, then I keep in in my letters box.
I like getting cards, tho I prefer the ones that are not blatantly religious - most of those seem to come from older relatives who I am not really close to. It bugs me a little when I get such a card - especially if it has a handwritten message saying “Jesus is the reason for the season” from someone who either knows or should know of my thoughts on the issue. Of course, perhaps I am not “militant” enough about my beliefs in social/family gatherings (hard as that may be for some of you to believe!)
The fave one I’ve seen this year came from the guys who did our siding this year. Santa is on the ground looking up at to reindeer up on some scaffolding. The reindeer are looking confused and shrugging, and between them is the outline of another reindeer who apparently got covered up by the siding they installed.
We usually keep them out in a bowl. Too many for the mantle, and no dooway or other we feel like lining. And we check for any updated addresses, and check to see if we sent them a card.
This year we are sending cards with Poinsettas on them. I believe they say “Season’s Greetings” inside. We also included a photo of the kids, and the dreaded form letter.
And we have a tree, and stockings and mistletoe hung. No crech, tho. Lights outside and other trappings. X-mas eve we’ll probably attend a service at a UU church. And we love to sing carols around the piano - perhaps especially the traditional ones, as they are among the small group of songs that a great number of people are likely to know all the words to.
I thank them <Boney M>from the bottom of my heart!</Boney M>
The only people who ever send me cards are my parents and grandparents. Said cards usually contain money. So I sqeal happily, take my money, and leave the card where it fall.
Yep, I’m a horrible a person.
I typically thank the person who sent the card to me. I don’t poopoo their beliefs if they don’t poopoo mine. I did get a wonderful Christmas Card from 2 friends that had an anagram for Christmas that basically said come over and have sex. 
It was too cute. I also get Christmas cards from a Jewish friend. The weird thing is that neither of us celibrate Christmas.
Really, you get no notes or cards for the whole rest of the year?
Since Christmas is originally a pagan holiday, what difference does it make? Besides, it is thoroughly secularised, like you Christians are supposed to eat turkey.
I say thanks. I appreciate the thought.
It doesn’t make sense to me to expect that Christians would send non-Christian cards to me, as I don’t send Christian cards to them. I figure that the cards are intended to reflect the sender, not the recipient.
When I get cards, they’re usually part of a Christmas present, so I say thank you, naturally. I usually hang up the homemade ones because they look pretty, but the rest end up randomly all over the house. As I do celebrate Christmas in secular fashion with the rest of my family, I don’t mind cards, not even the religious ones.
I’m more annoyed about religious cards I get on my birthday. All of them come from members of my dad’s church and most are terribly impersonal. I don’t even think most of them even really know who I am. But that’s another story entirely.
Christmas is religious? :eek:
Er, what exactly is the point of this thread? Is it some sort of oblique reference to Dinsdale’s pit thread? Or did you think that us poor atheists need a thread to prove how normal we are, and you did us a service in opening it? I mean, really, did you expect people to say that they throw away Christmas cards on principle?
I find it hard to believe that this is something you’re honestly curious about. It seems more likely that you’re just trying to make some sort of a point, and I wish you’d just make it.
Or, maybe I’m just being paranoid. 'Tis the season to feel opressed by the religious majority.
I’m with Barbarian on this one - I celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday, and I’m happy to receive cards from friends and family - I find it comforting and cheery to know I’m in their thoughts. I also send cards. Even if I didn’t celebrate Christmas, I wouldn’t be offended.
I have Catholic relatives, so I often receive cards with very religious themes, but it doesn’t bother me to get a card bestrewn with Marys and Jesuses.
Season’s greetings,
Kn*ckers
Put them up on the fridge. It’s enough that someone thinks well enough of me to take the time.
The only thread I see from Dinsdale in the Pit is one that I haven’t opened. So, yes, you’re just being paranoid.