Christmas is my favorite holiday

I talk about my atheism a lot. I've surrounded myself with friends and co-workers who contest every opinion and belief I have, so it comes up, often. I've noticed lately that my love of everything Christmas has raised an eyebrow or two. The question, "Why do you like Christmas if you're an atheist?" is absurd to me. If you are like me, a nonbeliever who is sometimes mildly irritated by organized religion, Christianity in particular, then why wouldn't you love Christmas? It's the area where atheists have achieved their biggest victory.

You ever flip to Fox News or something equally fun and hear that "war on Christmas" scare party? That's more true than you would think, but I am convinced waging war against Jesus's birthday is a good thing. We have this magical time of year, filled with extra kindness and charity, where we all treat each other a little better than we usually do. Christmas time is a good thing, which is why despite it's Christian roots, it has been expanded to include everyone, and is now called the "Holiday Season". Regardless of belief or creed, we now all participate in hot cocoa, trees, peppermint and crazed shopping.

We achieved this the way we accomplish all great things in this country, capitalism. Your god may be an almighty omni-present space magician, but even he cannot stand up to the might of the American dollar. Turn the Christian bday celebration into a multi-month, money dominated, all inclusive season. There was a war on Christmas, and it's over, we won. We took his birthday away and made it into something we can all enjoy.

I love this time of year, mostly because my son Oliver is super into it this time, but partly because I know that the modern Christmas experience is so radically different than it was just a few decades ago. The love is still there, but there is so much more respect for others now. We all choose how we celebrate the holidays now, with less concern for the scorn of the devout. Ever wonder why the appearance of Jesus on his own birthday diminished as the holiday expanded? It's because when given a choice, people don't want him around. We won atheists, and we did it with our brains, and our Democracy. Happy holidays everyone!