In my current poll I ask whether or not atheists should celebrate Christmas. As of this writing, 65% of readers answered ‘Yes’, 25% ‘No’, and the remaining 10% were undecided. I am a bit surprised that so many people agreed that atheists should celebrate Christmas, but this is not far off from my own opinion on the matter.

Christmas day is tomorrow. For many atheists and unbelievers, especially those that live in the United States as I do, this time of the year can often present some challenges. Christmas is undoubtedly a Christian holiday – the word ‘Christmas’ being a derivative of the old English Cristes Maesse, or the Mass of Christ – but it also has many elements that are not only appealing but don’t seem to have anything to do with Christianity at all. And that is mainly why I think that it is okay for atheists to celebrate Christmas if they so choose. Many of the traditions associated with this holiday are either pagan or secular in origin. In other words, as oxymoronic as it may sound, there are many ways for non-believers to celebrate a non-Christian version of Christmas. The decorations, many of the songs and carols, the gifts, the food, etc.

In fact, as far as I can tell, most of what we associate with Christmas is not Christian in origin at all! Christmas trees? The Bible itself speaks against cutting down trees and decorating them (as a form of idolatry):

(Jeremiah 10:1-4)
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them.  For the customs of the peoples are false: a tree from the forest is cut down, and worked with an axe by the hands of an artisan; people deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.

Shocking, I know. Perhaps somebody ought to remind Bill O’Reily of that passage. For more origins of Christmas traditions, check out this webpage or this blog post by a Christian.

The Bible also doesn’t specify when Jesus was born – and it is hard to believe that shepherds would be out with their flock in the dead of winter. In Rome, during the first few centuries CE (or ‘AD’), Romans celebrated the birthday of the unconquerble sun (sol invictus) on December 25th – which involved worshipping a number of solar deities. December 25th was chosen because it was, at that time, the winter solstice, or the time of the year in the northern hemisphere when the days start to become longer. In the 4th century, December 25th was chosen for the celebration of the birth of Jesus to replace the pagan holiday with something more Christian. Now, the birthday of the unconquerable sun became the birthday of the unconquerable son. Cute, I know, but a mid-third century mosaic found in the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basillica actually depicts Jesus as a sort of sun-god:

So, if you are an atheist and are thinking about celebrating certain aspects of Christmas (even if you do not call it that) – don’t feel bad! After all, Christians hardly have a monopoly on this time of year.