# How are non Christians feeling about celebrating Christmas this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2024, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790 "2024-11-26T06:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/41 "2024-11-26T18:35:11Z")
I forgot to say- Being a Jew, on Christmas day I hope to go to an ll you can eat Chinese buffet. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/42 "2024-11-26T19:15:16Z")
Years back, my Jewish friends and I would gather in Chinatown for some dinner, then hit the Christmas Eve showing of the recently released LoTR movie. We did that three years running but lost steam after that. I think we went one more year but I forgot what we saw. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/43 "2024-11-26T19:18:16Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I hope they don’t pull it off. I haven’t given up hope yet If they do, my joyous pastime will be to attack them as not being Christian enough. Really work on them. There’s always something I can “prove” they are not doing right. And I don’t mean being cruel to their fellow man. I mean like mixing fibers in their clothes, that sort of thing. No cotton/polyester blends in trumplandia, it is in the bible! Abomination! I shall rend their clothes from their bodies! Be gone, sinners! Repent ye! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/44 "2024-11-26T19:18:51Z")
Put the Saturn back in Saturnalia. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/45 "2024-11-26T20:17:15Z")
I’ve wished for years that I have the time, money and wherewithal to go to a non-Christian foreign land during December and just avoid the holiday entirely. Not an option, so I ride the line between enjoying it (I do love the music and the lights) and reminding myself that I’m agnostic and shouldn’t be deriving joy from a Christian holiday. That the country is being taken over by Christian nationalists hadn’t occurred to me until I read this thread. Well, I knew that the country was being taken over by Christian nationalists, but I hadn’t thought about the impact it’s going to have on Christmas. At the end of the day, I doubt my feelings are going to change much one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/46 "2024-11-26T20:37:51Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > I’ve felt that it’s mostly secular at this point and have never been particularly offended by its ubiquity. Heck, I like a lot of Christmas music and lights everywhere are always a good thing, imho. However, now that the country is seemingly about to be overtaken by Christian Nationalists, I’m not feeling so tolerant. Are you gonna let the MAGAs ruin this for you? > [@kayaker](#): > > Xmas is a secular holiday, it has been for a long time now. Since about 800AD. It was Charlemagne, who when crowned emperor on Dec 25th, made that day a Holiday. Of course he said it was due to Jesus, but of course it wasnt. Before that Christmas was just another feast day- no parties, no gift giving, nothing. Light a candle and say a prayer. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > This ought to be the country where you can celebrate anything you want, with or without any religion attached – Christianity included but not exclusive. And we sorely need some light shining in darkness this year. So celebrate that. Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/47 "2024-11-26T21:12:52Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > Thanks all. It sounds like we’re mostly on the same page. This befucked election has gotten to me and I feel this petty need to let people know what I think of religion, which I realize is unproductive. I like the idea of bringing other practices into it. Maybe I can find a recipe for some strong Saturnalia punch or something. I do not understand this, especially why the election would make anyone want to dissociate from Christians and their celebrations. (Any more than I understand yelling at black men and calling them traitors for voting for Trump, but that’s something for another day.) Christians as such are not the problem, they’re not even a problem. They are being used by those seeking power, and this time it was more successful than usual. You and I are also being used, by different people seeking power, only they are not as effective at it. There are, in fact, kinds of orthodoxy in both camps, litmus tests for being “one of us” or “the other.” We spend far too much time and energy here worrying about how bad the other people are. (If I were a better writer, I would make sure that sentence was the one everyone reading this would remember.) For myself, I hate magical thinking about the real world, so all religions, myths, and mysticisms are off the table for me, this year like every other year. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/48 "2024-11-26T21:18:42Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Christians as such are not the problem, they’re not even a problem. They are being used by those seeking power, and this time it was more successful than usual. They are also the people doing the using, in many cases. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/49 "2024-11-26T21:32:16Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > We spend far too much time and energy here worrying about how bad the other people are So, what you are saying is “There are good people on both sides.” ? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/50 "2024-11-26T21:36:41Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’ve wished for years that I have the time, money and wherewithal to go to a non-Christian foreign land during December and just avoid the holiday entirely. My parents were in Turkey around Christmas, and saw Turkish rugs for sale with an image of a fat guy in a red suit whom they referred to as Baba Claus. > [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > However, now that the country is seemingly about to be overtaken by Christian Nationalists, I’m not feeling so tolerant. > > How, if at all, do you think things will change socially or even policywise? Will you be attending Christmas get togethers? I don’t think the people taking over the country are especially Christian, and i don’t think Christmas celebrations especially influence any politics. I plan to treat Christmas celebrations just the same as any other year. As a Jew, i have conflicted feelings about celebrating Christmas, but I’ve never had a problem attending other people’s celebrations of Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/51 "2024-11-26T21:44:49Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > No one has expected me to participate in any religious performances in decades, and they’d have to be out of their minds to expect me to start now. So, considering that, what’s not to like about giving a bunch of presents and eating a bunch of overly rich food? This. I have no objection to celebrating just because I don’t sincerely believe that “Jesus is the reason for the season”. I don’t believe that pi is equal to exactly 3.14. I don’t believe that the “first Thanksgiving” happened on the fourth Thursday of the month in whatever year it supposedly happened, complete with a Detroit Lions football game at noon and a Dallas Cowboys football game at 3:30. I don’t believe that dressing in a costume on October 31st keeps evil spirits away, and so on. But I don’t have any problem having piece of pie on 3/14, or celebrating Halloween or Thanksgiving, or any other holidays that are traditionally celebrated in my culture, even if the underlying “reason for the season” isn’t based on a factual claim. As long as I’m having fun and not hurting anyone, what’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/52 "2024-11-26T22:36:22Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > I am also not convinced the US is about ot be taken over by “Christian Nationalists”. While there are some Republican values such as the sanctity of life in the unborn child that I agree and Trump has promised to maintain, there are many others that the incoming regime have promised to obliterate. The second great commandment is “Love thy neighbour as thyself” and the parable of the good samaritan makes it clear that “neighbour” does not just mean those of my ethnic origin or those that I am close to. Tht is totally at odds with so many of Trumps policies from Healthcare to immigration to gun control. I’m not sure you are aware of what [“Christian Nationalist” means in a US context.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_nationalism#United_States) There is a strong overlap with White Supremacy and Fascism. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/53 "2024-11-26T22:47:07Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I forgot to say- Being a Jew, on Christmas day I hope to go to an ll you can eat Chinese buffet I believe my local synagogue is planning to have a “Traditional American Jewish Christmas” again this year by showing a movie followed by a buffet of Chinese take-out. Last year’s movie was _Barbie._ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/54 "2024-11-26T22:52:45Z")
What the heck is the connection between Christmas and Chinese food? From the context it appears to be meant as some sort of joke or insult but I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/55 "2024-11-26T23:02:34Z")
It’s traditional in practicing Jewish families to get Chinese takeout on Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/56 "2024-11-26T23:05:41Z")
Our Chinese Buffet restaurant closed in June. I don’t know where we’re going to go for our meal. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/57 "2024-11-26T23:12:16Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > It’s traditional in practicing Jewish families to get Chinese takeout on Christmas. [Googles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish-American_patronage_of_Chinese_restaurants). Huh. Never heard of that before. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/58 "2024-11-26T23:13:09Z")
I was raised with a 100% secular Christmas – tree, stockings, singing carols around the piano, big family feast. I was raised so atheist that I remember wondering who this Child we were singing about was – not foolish enough to ask, though; I would have only been mocked. I converted to Catholicism in my thirties, and began dividing Christmas into two completely separate parts – Christmas Mass at midnight, not singing carols or decorating until Christmas Eve (before that it’s ADVENT, not Christmas). And then the next day driving out to my folks to have the feast thing with the whole extended fam. Always kind of groggy because Midnight Mass starts at you guessed it, and is about two hours long. I’m still bifurcated about the holiday. I despise commercial Christmas, but I’ve softened to the extent that I will sing carols before Christmas eve, though of course not in church. Christmas Day we’ll have latkes and applesauce and yogurt and sauerkraut, because it’s Hanukkah but mostly because it has to be my favorite meal ever. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/59 "2024-11-26T23:14:15Z")
I think Jews living in multicultural cities may have taken up going out for Chinese food on Christmas because they wanted something to do while all the Christians were celebrating and the Chinese restaurants would have been the ones that were open, as they wouldn’t have been celebrating Christmas either. These days a lot of mainstream places are open on Christmas also; but IIRC they didn’t use to be. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2024, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790/60 "2024-11-27T00:16:20Z")
Growing up Jewish we did nothing special on Christmas. Sometimes we got Chinese takeout, but more often we just cooked a regular meal and had a quiet night at home. There wasn’t any reason to do anything related to the holiday. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-non-christians-feeling-about-celebrating-christmas-this-year/1010790.md?page=4)