Why celebrate Christmas if you aren’t Christian?
I am not Christian, so I do not have that as a reason to celebrate.
For me Christmas isn’t only a Christian holiday, it is the most joyous time of the year, where everyone, no matter their situation, comes together as a community. The lights, the trees, the presents; it all gives away to a merry and festive time where people come together as a family, as friends. Some may surprise you with a small gift on your front porch, others may send a big package per mail.
In the end, I think the warm, homey atmosphere everywhere is what leads me to celebrate.
Quick history:
The middle of winter had long already been celebrated in some parts of the world, some enjoyed winter solstice others the going of the darker days and birth to new. Then came the day many believe Christ (from which comes Christmas) was born. It was also then celebrated as a religious holiday. In the early years of Christianity, the main holiday was Easter; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated yet. “In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration).” says history.com.
We, I’m talking about Americans, decided to start celebrating sometime around the 19th century. This actually isn’t too long ago. An artist, names Irving made a book about how he pictured this holiday, warm and cozy, peasants and squires celebrating together effortlessly. Then came Charles Dickens with “A Christmas Carol”. This family wasn’t as perfect, but the spirit and festivities remained. More and more Americans started celebrating, not realizing that they had recreated a holiday. The came the story of St Nikolaus, which ended up as Santa Claus in the U.S.. All the other details, probably came from creative minds or of course, true believers that saw Santa in his sleigh over their rooftops. Never doubt that miracles can happen!