# Christmas and non-Christian religions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959 "2021-01-07T20:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/21 "2021-01-08T06:17:47Z")
I was raised Conservative Jewish, but my parents were not at all religious. Pre-K I remember getting Christmas presents - from Santa - but no tree. They appeared at a door to the basement. After that we did Hanukah. When I got married I followed my wife’s family tradition which was totally secular with lots of presents. But a tree. Her father was an atheist. My kids and their husbands, all atheists, follow the same traditions. My grandson gets Hanukah and Christmas. One good thing about being Jewish is that it is an excellent excuse to not put up any lights. This year we stayed home due to Covid, and decided that a real tree was pointless, so we used a little fake tree. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/22 "2021-01-08T16:13:26Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I was raised Conservative Jewish, but my parents were not at all religious. Pre-K I remember getting Christmas presents - from Santa - but no tree. They appeared at a door to the basement. “Come on down, children. We’ll have even _more_ fun.” [![](https://image.winudf.com/v2/image/Y29tLmFuZHJvbW8uZGV2NjYwNjE0LmFwcDcxNzg1NV9zY3JlZW5fM18xNTE0MDgzMjk0XzA2MA/screen-3.jpg?fakeurl=1&type=.jpg) ](https://image.winudf.com/v2/image/Y29tLmFuZHJvbW8uZGV2NjYwNjE0LmFwcDcxNzg1NV9zY3JlZW5fM18xNTE0MDgzMjk0XzA2MA/screen-3.jpg?fakeurl=1&type=.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/23 "2021-01-09T15:45:29Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I worked with a guy in Japan who told me he was considered a heathen because he didn’t believe in Christ or anything involving Christianity. But he told me that the Japanese celebrate Christmas because who doesn’t like exchanging gifts and the pretty lights. He told me it was more like Valentines Day for them except most people actually get the day off from work. As a bog standard American of atheist perceptions this describes my attitude to it perfectly. It’s a commercial & social event dating back far more than 2000 years that a minority religious group have added some of their own overtones to. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/24 "2021-01-09T15:51:14Z")
Getting dinner tonight at a brewery that is hosting a deli food truck, featuring Christmastime-for-the-Jews sauce on their stuffed cabbage fried rice. [![](https://i.imgur.com/fTla7ID.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/fTla7ID.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/25 "2021-01-09T16:48:29Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > He told me it was more like Valentines Day for them except most people actually get the day off from work. Except that they don’t. Even when I worked for a branch office of an American company, we never got Christmas off. Japan does have lots more Christmas decorations than Taiwan, especially out in the sticks. Japanese Christmas is more for couples than families, as it’s supposed to be really romantic and unlike Valentine’s Day, guys are supposed to buy girlfriends a present and take them to a nice restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/26 "2021-01-10T14:26:41Z")
Biblical scholars recently unearthed the fact that a potato knish and a bottle of Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray were among the gifts offered to the Christ child. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959/27 "2021-01-10T21:55:56Z")
I Still haven’t forgiven Dr. Brown for discontinuing Diet Cel-Ray. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-and-non-christian-religions/929959.md?page=1)