Because I'm kind of a dork sometimes, I'm tempted to apologize before I say this and I don't mean to belittle believers, but here goes. I hate Christmas. I have hated Christmas for years and years. I only officially left the church a year ago this week, but I don't think I'm even a christian. I absolutely (reasons unknown to me) believe in a God, but I never did believe in the virgin birth, atonement, resurrection... Could that make me a jew? This is the last year I pretend to enjoy anything about Christmas. There, I said it. I bore my testimony as a member and believed in the church but I actually never, ever had a strong belief in the christ story. I don't believe in the bible either. After trying to read it for years, I finally admit I think it's a crock of crap. Is there anyone out there that has similar feelings or thoughts.

+1

This year has been tough for me. When you remove the "religious" side of Christmas, it is suck a huge waste of money, time, stress, emotion, etc.

Religion and Christmas don't have anything to do with each other for me. Christmas is just a time to hang out and have some fun with some people. I love it. I don't relate it in the slightest to religion. I do equate it to giving. If there aren't too many crazy people around, its great fun. I know for many people its a depressing time maybe because it brings up bad memories.

I never believed anything in the bible, but I never felt like I was supposed to. Just a cool guy with long hair that told people to take care of each other (nevermo here). The only reason I could never call myself a christian (my idea of a christian) is that I wasn't willing or able to do what I believe Jesus called us to do. There, I said it. I like telling people that, including mormons. They get a funny look on their face. Then I go into the fact that I try to be compassionate and giving, but I'm not inviting the homeless guy on the corner to stay in the empty room in my house. Jesus would. I've only met one person in my life I would call a christian. Sorry christians.

Tis the season to be jolly that the days are getting longer. Merry Winter Solstice to you all :)

Oh my condolences to the people on the bottom half of the world ;) I know this can sound quite condescending of me as I am a top-halfer.

Thank you! Maybe next year when the cheap, lying, arrogant son of a bitch's who get their own holiday every year wish me a "Merry Christmas" I'll say " Happy cultural time of good cheer."

Haha, I always come up with non-denominational holiday greetings to rib my JW family with.

"Merry Annual Gift-Giving Time Period!"

"Happy Not-Related-In-Any-Way-To-Your-Birth Day!"

This site came up when at this SUMMER SOLSTICE I wanted to send solstice condolences to relatives who are sweltering. As a former Mormon, now recovered, I wrote a poem on New Year's day that went like this:

I hate Xmas
I'm glad it's behind
All the hoopla and shmaltz drive me out of my mind.
Now it's over at last,
we can get on with living.
No more pressure to buy stuff because it's called "giving."

and the sky did not fall because I wrote X instead of spelling out the word.

ha-ha-ha! I love your poem! No more pressure to buy stuff because its called "giving."

Sorry, but I am a Christmas person. I love it! Even when I was single and without a boyfriend and in a dysfunctional Mormon family, Christmas was a time of relief for me. I was always too busy to feel sad, and had many reasons to get out of the house, and to be with my non-Mormon friends. I always had a holiday job in retail, and liked the music and decorations in the stores, and especially the cheerful shoppers who were buying things for someone other than themselves.

Of course, I didn't live in Utah, but by the ocean. We actually would go to the beach on Christmas day--just to say we did. It was only a few blocks away. I had children by then, and I believe that Christmas is for children--Santa, toys, and anticipation.

New Year's Eve--now THAT was depressing!

I understand how it makes you feel, though it doesn't really make you a Jew, though you might actually feel that Judaism is the path for you. If you decide to be Jewish, you need to contact a local synagogue, and talk to a Rabi about how you feel. There is a whole culture that goes with the religion. That and you have to have your foreskin cut off in front of a group of people. Have fun.

You are entitled to believe how you wish and don't need to feel badly. Just be happy you are not believing in a false prophet who married other mens wives and very young girls. Be happy you are not engaging in weird Temple ceremonies. And mostly be happy you are free to have your own beliefs or no belief at all and you won't allow others to judge you.

I guess I am right where you are. I have never liked Christmas, I thought the whole story of his alleged birth was made up, it "felt" that way. I do believe in God still, but it is not what many people think, my view of God.

For me it has and will continue to be a day I can spoil my children. I love to give and this one day of the year no one questions my choice.

Love the lights, the tree, the food, and that my grown daughter still enjoys the magic she felt as a kid.

Never have looked at it as a religious holiday since I left my childhood home.

Same with Easter. More gifts, easter egg hunt to find the basket...food, family..

Always been a heathen..

Add to that the carols and bell ringers.
After fifty years of White Xmas it gets annoying.
Celebrate surviving another shopping season with sanity almost intact.
Librarian

Tawanda, I think the Jews believe the OT Bible, so maybe you aren't a Jew either.

No, I don't believe the Bible is true at all either. And I stopped liking Christmas as a kid, when the hypocrisy and hate in my parent's family got to be too much to bear.

But every year, I give DW a fistfull of cash to make herself a happy Christmas, and every year she seems to find some reason to attack me in some way anyway. Hard to please some people, I suppose.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2011 04:32PM by hello.

1. The depression is mostly caused by the short days and less sunlight.
2. I celebrate Christmas but don't like Santa Claus and all the present buying. Our children were never given much and I always told DW that all I needed was her with me.
3. I do believe in the Bible and the Christmas story and think that is what it should be about even though the timing was incorrect - not December 25th. BTW not everything in the Bible is meant to be literal - like the tower of Babel. Only TSCC needs to believe that.
4. When the ward had Santa Claus, I was always put off.

A lot of people don't like Christmas because of the stress and expense along with the depression that many people feel at that time of year. It may or may not be related to religion. If you don't want to celebrate, don't or do it your way.

Amen. I don't believe in Jesus the bible or any of that anymore its all the same. Born into sin and now you're forever in debt to some Jew on a cross who lived 2000 years ago. It preys upon ur good nature and makes u a servant through the use of guilt. Funny the same tactics are used and magnified by the LDS church. It's all the same pile of horse 5hit.

I'm kind of a dork, too......



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2012 03:18AM by labdork.

I've started to enjoy that time of year as I get older. I have no expectations as in the past. I think that is where alot of the depression/anxiety comes from. If we can just learn to let go of how we think it "should" be, we can adjust and mold it to how we would like to celebrate - individually not collectively. I love gift giving and finding that gift(s) for those close to me brings me great joy. But I do that all year round. :).

The season of MANY good expectations and FEW good results. If you're a Christian it is too commercialized. If you're an agnostic/atheist it is too religious. If you're of another faith it is too Christian. If you're a kid it is too full of not-enough. If you're a parent it is too expensive. If you're Ebeneezer Scrooge it is way too much of everything.

I've approached that holiday with skepticism since I was a teenager.

I don't believe in Jesus. I love Christmas tho. I feel no pressure to spend money, but I love the commerciality of it all. I think the pressure is self inflicted. When I can spend money on those I love it makes me feel good. When I get something from someone who loves me it makes me feel good.