The Atheist Who Loved Xmas

I’m officially going on record about two things: 1) I’m an atheist. 2) I love Christmas.

I don’t generally write “Christmas,” though; I write “Xmas.” The holiday just isn’t about Christ to me. I don’t hate Christians or Christianity. I just don’t believe in the religion — or any religion, for that matter. Oh, sure, the Christmas story is nice and I can appreciate it. I just don’t believe it’s factual. To me, Xmas is about family, traditions, friends, generosity, a respite before starting a new year and time to reflect on the past year.

I really do love everything about Xmas. (Except Santa Claus. Santa has always creeped me out. He’s too clown-like.) I love the lights illuminating the chill air, the ambience of the lit tree in my living room. I get a thrill from buying gifts for friends and family, trying to find things that they want and others that will surprise them. Oh, sure, the intellectual part of me sometimes tries to look at holiday gift-giving like Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory,” but gifts are so much fun that the kid in me easily wins that battle.

I love the music — even the very Christian carols, many of which happen to be my favorites. I load my Xmas music playlist onto my iPod the day after Thanksgiving, and I listen to it until the day after Xmas.

I love the Xmas holiday rush and all the decorations. I like how everyone seems to be a little bit nicer to one another at Xmas time, and I take pleasure in the anticipation that builds up to Dec. 25 every year.

I treasure spending time with my crazy family and the traditions we built when I was a child and still practice today. I love spending extra time with my friends and family, and the year-end holiday is perfect for letting bygones be bygones and moving on.

To me, all of these things encapsulate the meaning of Xmas, and you don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate them or to partake in the festivities.