I’ll go further and say that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ. I think that is something worth celebrating (even if I am not sure of the historical truth of the birth of Christ).
I find most of the modern secular trappings of Christmas annoying (especially the rampant consumerism) and, as an Englishman living in the US, I miss the sacred songs and hate the Frosty/Rudolph/Sleigh Bells style songs about Christmas… and, while I am ranting, I hate the phrase “Happy Holidays”.
Maybe that’s the essence of the question in the OP … Is it hypocritical to celebrate christmas if you think christmas is not worth celebrating ?
I think what Latro is getting at is the commonly held belief that the early Christian Church fixed the date of Christmas precisely because it coincided with several popular pagan festivals and because they didn’t know the actual date.
I was raised in a fundamentalist religion that barred celebrating Christmas - the event was considered “pagan” and “worldly.” No Christmas trees during my entire childhood.
Now, as an adult with free will, I put up 3 or 4 full-size trees and decorate with a vengence.
