Oh the irony of loving winter but disliking the associated holidays. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
this post was submitted on 22 Aug 2023
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Christmas is mostly an ordeal to get over with IMO. I'm an adult atheist with social anxiety and no offspring to vicariously enjoy the festivities through, so it's really not for me ๐คท
i've come to celebrate the winter solstice not because of 'christmas' or anything but because it's an observance of an objectively empirical astronomical phenomenon. Recognizing the solstices and equinoxes were pivotal, fundamental, essential discoveries that humanity needed in order to properly leverage agriculture, and everything about civilization stems (no pun intended) from there.
Same here. I have neither the religion of the germanic peoples who 'invented' Christmas nor the religion of the ones who incorporated it later (or any), but I can appreciate lights, warmth and people who are important to you getting together at a time of the year when it's cold and grey and dark for 16 hours a day. That's why and how the winter solstice was originally celebrated and I get that.
I feel you as a fellow socially anxious atheist. Thankfully my parents respect my wish not to celebrate, but not everyone is so lucky.