Capitalists not Atheist are Ruining Christmas

I found this interesting and it first came to my attention while I was watching the morning news yesterday.  The Fox 13 Utah news commentator opened the story by saying... "Meanwhile Atheist are Trying to Ruin Christmas."  Atheists cannot be held responsible for the ruining of Christmas.  This was already done by 3am openings at WalMart and our American Lust for stuff at the expense of our own financial health.

As an LDS kid growing up there was a certain magic about the holidays.  As an atheist adult there is little joy in the financial and social expectations of the season.

I don't believe in the Myth of Christ and the season holds no special spiritual significance.  As a young parent there was still some magic but as my kids get older and it is apparent they have more than everything they need the shopping portion of the Holiday has become a burden.

Not only do I support the billboard but I think it is time eliminate the government observance of this holiday and the tacit support of the religious buy fest that goes along with it.  Open the government, post offices and banks on the 25th of December.  Unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday.  The religious will support and celebrate their holiday regardless.  However the artificial economy that is built around this religious holiday is a wink and a nod to Christianity and the myths surround its inception.

Not a War on Christmas... but a war anyway!

The Holiday Season is rocketing toward us again.  American's are going to spend billions on holiday decor, food, electronics, and toys.  I like somethings about the holiday season.  I like to decorate my house.  I love to cook for and to entertain family and friends for the holidays.  But I hate the financial pressure that we feel during the holiday season.

I have had a couple of friends post a video speculating on what Jesus would buy for Christmas in a call to take commercialism out of the Christmas Holiday.  I suggest we take it one step further and take business to task during the Christmas season.  There is no reason to support the capitalists if they are not going to care for the American Consumer, their employees, and the country we all live in.

In the 1950's Americans worked for employers who would offer generous benefit and retirement packages.  They offered education benefits to workers and their families.  In short the American companies invested in their workers and their country and as a result those same companies enjoyed a productive work force that put the US economy at the top.  There is a reality that this golden age of the American economy came in part from pressure put on employers by labor unions but we had a healthy middle class.

In the early 1980's Reagan "busted" the unions and American's have had to work more hours to maintain the same comparative quality of life.  Fast forward to 2010 and the middle class is disappearing.  Jobs are being outsourced to third world countries and employees have smaller benefit packages while the companies profits are being posted at record rates.

So back to the holidays.  Every year we engage in a tradition of shopping till we drop.  Many of us spend money we don't have to subsidize this ideal that it is better to give than to receive.  Every year we hear of those needy children who without our help won't enjoy a Christmas.  The money comes out of our bank accounts and into the accounts of corporations who treat their employees like chattel.

So here is my suggestion.  Find a new holiday tradition that does not require money and if it does spend it on something you couldn't do without anyway... like a meal a week that is special for each member of the family. Find an opportunity to host extended family and share a meal.  Say no to Christmas gifts you can't afford and make those types of purchases through out the year as your resources allow.  Thin out your closets and make donations to local charities if not in money with your time and energy.  Tell you children that the 25th of December entitlement is an illusion and there are ways enjoy the rich traditions of Christmas without it being about gifts and transferring money from our accounts to the corporate accounts.  We need to learn to do what the large US corporations have done during this last recession and hoard our resources.  If you can meet the needs of your family.... look for a charity to support.  Instead of spending money save it for opportunities to better your or your family's existence.  Put you money in to a tax deferred college savings plan.

This is not my atheist war on Christmas... it is my war on capitalism!  Now if I can just convince my wife....

Christmas...means less now that my baby doesn't belive in Santa!

This time of year is very aggravating to me. We have a bunch of expectations to meet and even in times of plenty I struggle to succumb to the commercialism of the holiday.

When I was a kid who still had a belief in Santa...and in a god...this season was all magic. From the decorations to the cookies and fudge to the gifts and the anticipation. I loved the stories of a Night Before Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, and A Christmas Carol.

As I grew older Christmas became tainted by the domestic issues my parents had and the expectations that my father had failed to meet or the unrealistic expectations that my mother had of him. But, for most of the years I lived at home there was someone who believed in Santa Claus.

I easily shed my belief in god at about age 16. The belief in Santa had be be pried from me at age 12. I suffered greatly at this time of year. I worried about the emotional health of my family and if Santa knew what I wanted for Christmas. The night before Christmas I would lay awake the entire night listening for Sleigh Bells and wondering how Santa would get down that chimney; which would lead him to the basement where I slept, and get upstairs without me hearing him. I became a Santa apologist. I was a hopeless romantic!

When I started having children of my own I still loved the whole idea of Santa...but hated the financial pressures the season brings. We did little to raise our children as Christians in fact we avoided most references to Christ in the season. When my oldest, Skyler was about four he was watching a "First Christmas" program on TV. He turned from the TV and asked emphatically..."who is this Jesus dude anyway?" When my youngest boy, Michael, was about 10 he was helping my wife set up a small nativity in the great room. He handed her a figurine of the baby Jesus and said, "Don't forget Noah". He only knew about Noah from the Veggie Tales cartoon that my Mother-in-law lent him despite my objection.

My youngest, Kiera, shed her belief in Santa last year telling us she had caught us a couple of years ago. She kept up appearances because of the "If you don't believe...you don't receive" mantra my wife would repeat all season.

For a Curmudgeon, I love to entertain, decorate my home, and to cook great meals for my family and guests. I am a designer at heart and each tree I put up is an experiment in a new theme, color pallet, each center piece is an opportunity to show Martha Stewart up!

I started this blog as a result of struggling with this question...'Why does an atheist celebrate Christmas at all?' A year later I an no closer to answering this question. I spent most of today shopping for gifts and supporting this artificial economy we have built around this holiday. I believe more this year than I did last that Christ was a legend and not a real person. I struggle to justify the celebration in his name or the financial stress this holiday puts on me and most of middle America. I celebrate it because my wife still loves it.....And I design a mean Christmas Tree!