Does anyone else from the U.S. NOT celebrate Christmas?

I know that even for people who celebrate Christmas (and I have firsthand experience because I celebrated for most of my life), it can be a very stressful time of year- like you said, the red and green is kind of on overload, and there is so much pressure on people to find the right gifts and try to find the funds to do so, to get along with their families, and whatnot. Everything just gets busier and more expensive. I think that for people who do want to celebrate what they feel is the "real meaning" of Christmas without so much fuss(whether that's Jesus' birth or quality time with family), it can be almost as hard as not celebrating at all. But I do respect and admire those who celebrate the holiday because it is real and meaningful to them, and not just because of the material stuff.

May I ask why it is you choose not to celebrate Christmas? Sorry if I missed that in your original post..

My husband's workplace is doing a Secret Santa, and when they passed the hat around with names in it, he drew one without really knowing what it was (you know how sometimes work becomes so routine that you just do whatever someone tells you to do). When he realized that it was for a Christmas gift exchange, he went to the person organizing it and gave the name back, and the guy got all offended. The thing was, the employees weren't asked if they wanted to participate or not- everyone's name got put in the hat, so someone probably drew my husband's name and will give him a Christmas gift that he doesn't want. I think it was extremely rude of them not to ask people whether they wanted to participate or not.

thyst, I'm not sure if you are in the states or not, but it sounds like what your husband experienced is not HR appropriate. I can understand them needing to have hours covered as a business need - work needs their prime hours covered. But if your husband has made it known he does not celebrate Christmas, any insistance that he participate is not appropriate, especially if he felt harassed. I am just lucky I had a boss that I could let know what our family does and doesn't do. After the guy who made the "evil" comment was fired, I told her what he had said. She was upset she hadn't known sooner, because she would have personally taken it to HR.

Exactly what Paula said. I'm not asking people not to celebrate Christmas. I'm asking them not to treat me like I'm lower than scum because I choose not to celebrate it, and for good reasons. I also take issue with your generalization that anywhere that does not celebrate Christmas is "lacking in freedom." Yes, some countries are lacking in freedom, and if you think about it America doesn't offer complete freedom either. Other countries may have different lifestyles or different forms of government, but that does not mean that they are all terrible, despotic places where citizens have no rights. I wish that people would get off the American high horse of thinking that our way is the best way and the only way, and that if you go anywhere else you might as well live in a jail cell. Honestly, people.

No one is saying forbid it. But why should I have to be treated like I am subhuman because I don't?

I wish I could avoid having to go out, but it's just not possible, being in college and having a job. I'm glad that at least I don't work in retail, like my husband, but my job will get its fair share of Christmas too- I work box office/concessions for a theatre company that, of course, puts on a Christmas play every December and fills the lobby with garlands and trees and whatnot. If I could stay home and hibernate for the next month, I would.

No offense, but you're exactly the kind of person who makes November-December unbearable for people like me. Although I do not care to participate in Christmas, I recognize that other people enjoy it quite a lot, that it is a tradition, and that some people even believe in it religiously. I respect that- but people who do celebrate Christmas don't seem to be willing to return the favor. Instead of saying something like "Even though I don't agree with you, I respect your choice," you say "I can't say I understand your feelings..." Just like most other Americans to whom I reveal that I do not celebrate Christmas, you treat me like I'm some kind of weirdo, you don't respect that some religions don't celebrate Christmas because they have their own religious holidays (like Hannukah), and if I had children you'd probably say that I was depriving them of something by not celebrating Christmas. That's why I asked for responses from other people who choose as I do- because people who do celebrate Christmas just don't seem to understand.

you have got to understand there is probably a million people on mylot who celebrates christmas and they may respond the same way. Iwas not trying to offend your religion or anything its just that I have being celebrating all my life and I still do not understand why some religions choose to not celebrate christmas especially if they have children.

MizzLady, You said you don't understand... I hope you are willing to try. First off, I PERSONALLY am not calling anyone bad for celebrating Christmas. However, I certainly don't appreciate people who do not know me as a person(referring to offline people here)saying to my face that I am EVIL, or that I am NEGLECTING my son because we do not celebrate Christmas. Obviously, some people do not celebrate Christmas because they do not believe in Christ. On the other hand, there are some religions that are Christian, but believe that the celebration of Christmas is not based on scriptural fact. For example, where in the scriptures are Christmas trees and mistletoe? And where in the scriptures does it say the day Christ was born? Scripture gives us the information to specifically discern the date of Christ's last meal. If it was so important to celebrate Christmas, why are there no indicators of that date? Many people notice that the shepards were out with there flocks, which in that part of the world is HIGHLY unlikely the time of year Christmas is observed. Where in the scriptures can you even FIND the word Christmas??? So, if you are up for a little research, and are curious, you could start researching from WHERE did these traditions spring, because it WASN'T the Bible. People like my husband who were raised since small children NOT to celebrate Christmas are often perplexed by the insistance of showering everything down at one time. To them, it seems to only being showing love on such a scale once a year. I know that is not the case, but that is how THEY see it - they almost feel like it is saying "I love you" only once a year. Once again, please note I said I know it is not the case. People with these beliefs feel it is more important to raise their children based on what is in the scriptures rather than giving in to the peer pressure of society. I don't know if this helps you to understand. I won't get more into it because I really don't get much more into a high level overview of it with people even in real life. However, the types of questions I posed here were what opened my eyes to why my husband feels how he feels, and made me respectful enough to agree to live that way as well. By the way, MY son seems not to have suffered in any way since we started following this practice.

I don't know a lot about China's festivals and holidays, but it's interesting to hear about the Spring Festival. Many different countries and cultures have their own holiday that for them is just as important as Christmas is to Christians and Americans. A lot of people think that people who don't celebrate Christmas are missing out on something, but they might have their own holiday that is just as exciting for them, such as your Spring Festival. I would like to learn more about the things that other cultures celebrate.

Well, its good that you buy your kids things and put up a tree up.

I'm not asking for a country to accommodate me or for everyone to stop celebrating Christmas and stop decorating the stores. But I think that every person deserves respect for their beliefs, regardless of what holiday they celebrate or do not celebrate. As for my husband's job...we are thankful to have the income, but it's hard to like a job where they treat the employees as badly as they do at Target. But I am aware of how difficult it is to have a job these days- the only reason I have one is because I have a work-study grant at my college. I don't know what I'll do when I'm out of school and that isn't available to me anymore, because there's not much market for my degree. So yes, even if we don't like Target much, we're glad that we're not completely jobless like so many people are right now in these hard times.