Reply to If you are a non religious household, how do you handle religious holidays or Santa, etc?

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[quote=Anonymous]While I'm a Christian and did do Santa with my kids, Santa isn't Christian.  Saint Nicholas may have Christian roots, but I place Santa Clause in the same category as the Tooth Fairy and leprechauns.  Also similar:. Chuck E. Cheese, Ronald McDonald, Woodsy the Owl, McGruff, and Disney characters

While I do use the Christmas holiday to remember the biblical Nativity story, that is entirely different from secular celebrations.  Most of our "Christmas" traditions are co-opted Pagan traditions celebrating the solstice (cultures around the world have marked that time, but even if you believe the biblical account was almost certainly not when Christ would have been born), with the other customs being pretty much things people have come up with using the holiday as a convenient excuse.  Rudolph's story was a marketing gimmick for Montgomery Ward's.

https://www.newsweek.com/origins-christmas-1270858

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer

It may be of interest that the Puritans banned Christmas and even when it was allowed back, it was considered disreputable for some time.

Seems to me, that everybody celebrates differently.  Some may wear matching pajamas, or goofy sweaters. With my kids we always did the stockings as soon as they woke up and had a pre-breakfast of Christmas candy.  Growing up, one set of my grandparents did the same thing most of the day that they did any time company came over for any reason, played dominoes.  While as a Christian, the religious parts are most meaningful to me, I think you can celebrate a Christmas/Solstice/American Commercialism/Festivus/Just Because holiday any way you want.  While it may seem heretical to many Americans, because I have absolutely no interest in sports, I skip the Superbowl game, but may look for the best commercials the next day.  Similarly, I don't want to sit through the Oscars, but I may watch the red carpet or  look up notable dresses the next day.  I may not be celebrating these events as somebody else intended, but I enjoy the parts I want and skip the rest.[/quote]

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