The song says it is the most wonderful time of the year.  I do not celebrate Christmas because I disagree with the song, and hold the view that it is destructive and bad.  

The song is referring to Christmas ideals such as joy (to the world) and peace (on earth) and other good things (family, happy children, visions of sugarplums etc.).  I have nothing against joy in the world or peace.  But does Christmas really promote joy or peace?  In practice, I see people more stressed than ever while they prep for the occasion to the point of distraction.  Perhaps at one time these things were more noticeable, but today I don’t see it in the frantic pace of our lives once it is compounded by the stress and pace of Christmas since it has morphed into a purely commercial event.  People are not even pretending to keep the Christ in Christmas… with the exception of the kook fringe.  The truth is; when you take a time of year or a day to celebrate this or that thing… you only serve to undermine it.  My approach when it comes to joy and peace is to live it daily… in July, in January and your worst day of the year.  People get tricked into thinking they are doing their part for joy and peace by faking it for a couple weeks – so they are licensed to be a jerk for the rest of the year.  Like their conscience is appeased or stroked for another year.  In that way Christmas does a disservice to joy and peace.  (did I mention the elevated levels of depression and suicide at this time of year?)

Celebrating Christmas is an act that fortifies the god concept – especially regarding the myth of Jesus. Period.  If you want to do that, and if you think doing that is a good idea then …… we disagree on that strongly.

Celebrating Christmas closes the door on many great conversations.  You would not believe how many people I’ve helped because I quietly went about my business on Christmas day and kept my self unencumbered of the hustle and bustle of the season.  People ask you about your atheist ideals when you act like one, not when you act like a Christian.  We need to encourage the debate, that is the only way we can free people of the horrid god concept.  When people ask me why I don’t celebrate Christmas I am gentle, and I embrace the opportunity and the questioner with calm and good cheer.  I turn the question around and ask them why they do.  I remind them that I am just sitting here minding my own business, they are the one’s doing something.  I remind them that I used to celebrate Christmas so I fully understand where they are coming from.  I just don’t agree with it anymore and would ask them to respect me in the same way.  I acknowledge that I’m choosing to be a social outcast in this world since most people do celebrate it.  I know that I don’t live in my world… I live in theirs.  But if I ever want to see sanity in the future it will take courageous individuals to lead the way and take the first step.  With this said, I keep cheerful and never criticize  - I understand, but I just don’t agree and do so kindly.  I love my family and friends, I want them to come to reason, not be turned away by me being a jerk… But I will live my values.

The cheaters like priests and preachers get strengthened, right along with their institutions and the concepts on which they are based.  When the preachers go to empty churches their power will be lessened, when people celebrate Christian holidays, or any religion’s special day, they are fortifying the cheaters and their evil institutions.

Children are taught to accept mysticism in childhood that they will carry over to adulthood.  Once the mind is seduced by mysticism in childhood it morphs into adult strength stupidities such as belief in god and the jebus myth.  I like the saying; God is Santa Claus for Grown Ups… that says it all.  Christmas promotes mystical and senseless thinking, that is undeniable.

While I’m talking about children…. Christmas is based on giving away our money (in the form of gifts – also called our resources and values since money is a value) without a calculated return.  Even if a kid is bad, no adult can overcome the guilt and withhold a present.  We can’t give our good kids gifts while we give the bad one a lump of proverbial coal. Christian ideals of guilt projection and altruism are promoted by adults and taught to children.  These are two values I would not pass on to a child.  We should be teaching our children about adding value, that we are rewarded with good behavior.  (keep listening to my monologue for more on altruism as the prime evil)

Still more about kids… Some people say it is so fun for the kids and how can I be so cold as to deny them such an enjoyable and precious time.  Poppy cock!  I can think of a thousand things that children can enjoy.. the argument is without basis – except an emotional one, a senseless one.  Kids can have fun with their imagination without being taught a lie.

Some people argue that the economy would collapse without Christmas.  The economy would retool for a Christmas-less world.  Do you seriously think people would sit around staring at large piles of money in their bank account wondering what to do with it?  Again, poppycock!  The money would be spent elsewhere… perhaps on things that were truly valuable instead of trinkets… like education, better food, warmer clothes and on and on…

There are other reasons… but here is my last point.  I would like to counter the argument made by folks who say it is about family.  Can we only get together at Christmas?  Again, this is a poppycock argument.  We can get together with family at any time!  Think of all the people who die in tragic accidents during this time… Is that good for families?  If we really wanted to have a fantastic ‘family time’ then why not reduce the carnage and have it during a time that includes everyone, of all religions and belief systems.  Let’s have a summertime ‘family week’.  Fewer people would die on the roads because there is no ice and we could have all people in our family come to the cottage, do outdoor activities and enjoy ourselves more fully.  Christmas and Christians don’t have a monopoly with ‘family love’ and this argument arrogates that view rather incorrectly.

I love my family, my children and want the economy to thrive… and I can do all these things, in fact enhance these things in a world without Christmas.

Meanwhile, I will get up on Sunday the 25th and do whatever I do on any other Sunday.