The common Western concept of Christmas, even including national variances, is essentially a fusion of Roman, Indo-European, Nordic and Celtic Pagan festivals and symbolism. Not all of these festivals were strictly religious.

Jeremiah 10:2-4 condemns what today are called Christmas or Yule trees as ‘heathen’; Kissing under mistletoe is a pagan fertility rite (the white berries represent the sperm of Woden); Gift giving is a pagan tradition from the Roman Mithras festival which ultimately originated in Sumeria; the Yule log is a pagan Scandinavian tradition marking the lengthening of days.

In short I suspect atheists celebrate the Winter festival without considering the Christ, much like many other religious & non-religious cultures do & have done.

I wonder why Christians celebrate these Pagan festivals.
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The ancient European pagans celebrated the midwinter festival and a number of other festivals long before Christianity ever existed!

Babylonians celebrated the feast of the Son of Isis with gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift giving and the goddess of fertility, love, and war.

The Romans held a festival on 25 December called “Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, celebrating their own god Sol Invictas – PAGAN.

The Persian god Mithras, the Syrian sun god Elah Gabal, the German Sol, the Greek Helios and the Mesopotamian Shamash. But also Saturnalia, honouring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. The law courts and schools were closed. No public business could be transacted an this is where the holidays originated – ALL PAGAN!!!

Wax tapers were given by the more humble to their superiors. The origin of the Christmas candle – PAGAN!!

In Rome groups of costumed went from house to house entertaining their people. And this was where the carolling Christmas tradition originated PAGAN!!

Statues of the Mother and lover or Mother and son were paraded through the streets not only in Italy but also in Africa, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Bulgaria. Thus, the symbolism of the Heavenly Virgin and the infant child paraded on a yearly basis are not of Christian origin. They stem from the Mother-goddess religion, which is very ancient ENTIRELY PAGAN!!.

Scandinavian countries celebrated Yule honouring Thor – PAGAN.

In Germania (not Germany) they celebrated midwinter night followed by 12 wild nights of eating and drinking. The 12 days of Christmas PAGAN!!

The church under Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25 in 350 AD in order to try to hijack the PAGAN festivals but it was largely ignored. Christians did not really celebrate Christmas until 378 but it was then dropped in 381 and not resurrected until 400.

The Christmas tree stems from pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice, which included the use of holly boughs ivy and other foliage as an adaptation of pagan tree worship. Holly and ivy represented male and female. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual – all PAGAN!!

Santa Claus came from the Dutch “Sinterklaas” and was a tall figure riding a white horse through the air and usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children. Also the origin of the reindeer, sleigh and the elves ALL PAGAN!!

The modern red coated Santa was brought about by coca cola!!

America actually banned Christmas several times and is the originator of the expression “Happy Holidays” which came about because of the pagan origins of Christmas to include all religions and traditions!!

The Venerable Bede, an early Christian writer pointed out that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices when it found the population unwilling to give up the festivals. Thus a lot of what Christians now see as Christians practices are in fact pagan!!!

Christmas is the time of year christians strive to prove just how pagan they have become!!!
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I suppose if we can use holidays which are fun and then incorporate them into our traditions (for example Hallowe’en and Easter are taken from pre-Christian traditions as well as Christmas), why shouldn’t they?
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Why would you think it hypocritical to enjoy and honor the customs and beliefs of others?

Not to mention that current Christmas holiday in most of the US is very secular in nature, or do you really think lit trees, holly wreaths, yule logs, and an immortal "jolly old elf" who brings presents (even if putatively named for St. Nick), really has anything to do with Christianity?
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Second if you’re argument is that you have to be part of the religion to celebrate the holiday then Christians need to give up Easter and Christmas because them are Pagan holidays. Christmas and Easter coincide (somewhat) with the solstices which were the biggest days for most Pagans. The Christmas Tree and Tinsel are all trappings of the old religions. There were no pine trees in the Middle East . Rabbits and Eggs are symbolic of rebirth and of spring time which is why their all over Easter.

Really, now a days Christmas and Easter aren’t religious holidays. So why not let everyone participate?
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