For the same reason that Christians do - social tradition. Christmas was actually a pre-Christian pagan holiday that was pre-empted and renamed by the Christians. One does not have to have a religion to believe that the gift of giving, and spending time with loved ones is worthwhile and important, contrary to the belief of many.

Christmas is the Christianized version of the mid-winter festival that celebrates the winter solsice or the fact that we have turned from the shortest day and are on the way to spring etc. Early people celebrated for that purpose, Christians saw a tenuous link with new birth and instead of celebrating a Pagan festival took the opportunity to worship God for the birth of Christ. As Christianity became more popular it became more the norm to celebrate the birth of Jesus than it did for the solstice. Therefore we have Christmas . My issue is that as with all things they are only imortant to it's adherants and so as Christianity has lost importance in the West so Christmas is brought under question. Therefore why are not the opposers of the festival as enterprising as earlier Christians and celebrate mi-winter for whatever reason they choose and stop the accusations that it was taken by theft and declaring therefore that Christmas has no spiriual purpose. Make what of the day you will and a very happy !whatever it is day!. Oh by the way only 6 months to go before you have to decide why you celebrate. I am already happy with my day, are you?

Do they ? Or is it simply an opportunity to have a party, buy and give some presents and enjoy yourself? If by "Christmas" you refer to the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the various religions we call christianity, then I'm not sure this is what athiests are celebrating. If you refer to a commercial experience that falls on December 25 every year, then atheists, non-christians and even some christians celebrate it.

As an atheist I celebrate because it is fun, it feels good to spend time with your family, it is a national holiday, and it's a great tradition that we were doing since we were born, and it has nothing to do with any religion at all.

The question is not if atheist should celebrate christmas but whether or not christians should celebrate christmas. Those who read their bibles should have this question already answered. Is it the atheist or the "christian" who is the hypocrite?

Because it's a national holiday. I suppose we could sit in a corner, glowering away at all the Christians scoffing their Christmas dinner, refusing the odd proffered mince pie, and saying nothing except 'Humbug!', but speaking personally, I like to join in and celebrate the winter solstice. :)

For the same reason that people of other faith celebrate Christmas. For the devout Christians it is a religious festival for the rest of the world its an occasion to celebrate close ties. Its an occasion to remember their close ones and spend a few joyful hours with them .

I don't. But my family does 0_o

We like getting presents, too.

The commericial aspect overrides the spiritual, unfortunately.

Santa Claus is their God.

I'm not an Atheist but perhaps you might want to look a bit into the Holiday before posting these types of questions. http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=1252&display_order=1&mini_id=1290

Because it's traditional. In prehistoric times people probably had to be indoors with one another alot more in the wintertime. A good way to make this bearable is everyone plans a party and gives gifts and celebrates being with each other. Takes your mind off waiting for spring so you can get away from your family. I celebrate Christmas because I love being with my family and loved ones. I like the presents, but even better is the giving presents, especially when you've found someone the perfect gift. I don't care that the current popular incarnation of the holiday is named after a religious figure. I like the winter festival, whatever it's called.

Tradition? Why not?

Christmas is a mockery of what it is supposed to be. I agree that atheists should not celebrate Christmas, but only if you Christians start celebrating it for the true reasons.

aint shit else to celebrate during that time

Atheists celebrate Christmas for the same reason believers do - for the gifts! Whether it is the giving or the receiving you enjoy as a Christian, atheists enjoy it the same way you do - minus all of that birth of Jesus stuff. Babies are ugly anyways. Look at that little twerp, Sheriff Raff. ;-)

well christmas is a religious holiday (its not completly a gift giving holiday, or a santa claus holiday etc. ).....it celebrates the birth of jesus christ, the son of god...in my OPINION, if you dont belive in jesus christ, then why are you celebrating his birthday? To me that is a bit hypocritical..There are many other celebrations for people who do not belive in jesus christ such as hanukkah....but i would say that there is such thing as an alternative christmas where people celebrate it normally without the religious input.

Americans enjoy their happy times, and celebrating Christmas is a happy time for us. We celebrate anything and everything!

We're not celebrating Jesus. We're enjoying being with our families and sharing love. Oh, and there's presents, decorations, booze and food. It's fun! The question is why do Christians celebrate Christmas in December? And the answer to that is that it is a festival that far predates Christianity. So you apply your meaning to the date, and others apply their own meaning.

Christmas isn't a religious holiday anymore. It just isn't. Even in my former Catholic home, we never celebrated Christmas like it was "Jesus' birthday." It was all about a pine tree with lights on it and getting presents. Pine trees and presents have nothing to do with God, so someone who doesn't believe in God can participate.

Because the idea of Christmas in general is good.It about family and friend togetherness, love, kindness, giving, and all over is a very happy time. Take all the God and Jesus things out and it's just a celebratory festival like it was originally intended. (and yes, I say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. Sue me politicans : p )

For the same reason that northern Europeans celebrated it for thousands of years before Christ. Christmas marks the end of the year and a time to forget about the old year and enjoy yourself. I do not believe in any God, but I celebrate Christmas though not with Christ.

Just because they dont believe in God, doesnt mean they dont beilieve in Santa.. and Rudolf and Donna and Blitzen and Prancer and Dancer and Comet and the little elves and Mrs Santa Clause and flying sleighs and all that shit...

Santa Claus

They want the modern and nonspiritual meaning of Christmas... they'll refer it to X-mas or any other variation just for Santa Claus and to get presents.

Booze and presents, I suspect. Me? I actually never liked Christamss much for purely non-religious reasons. There is so much pressure to have a lovely holiday and make everything perfect that when some little thing does go wrong it's blown out of all proportion. .

They celebrate the commercial spirit of Christmas. Anyway it's a good excuse for a party

Because they want presents. I don't think atheists should celebrate Christmas.

There's a huge difference between celebrating Christmas and its message and celebrating the 'gimme gimme gimme' Christmas.

Deep in their hearts they are believe but don't want to admit that!!

why do christians have a christmas tree?

Why does anyone celebrate chriostmas??? It's more depressing than anything else. Go out spend all the money you have, wrap the presents, then you get to struggle to pay off that credit card bill the rest of the year! This life is worthless and full of too many problems. I'm tempted to just lay down with my gun and end it. I've got nothing to live for and am ready to leave this wretched body full of nothing but medicine and pain!!!

Because Christians stole the pagan festival. No one knows what date Jesus was supposedly born on, but the church saw a perfect opportunity to wipe out a pagan festival and replace it with one of their own. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast. In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Holly berries were thought to be a food of the gods. The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. Evergreen boughs were sometimes carried as totems of good luck and were often present at weddings, representing fertility. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshipping huge trees. In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. So a better question is why did the christians steal yet another pagan festival?

I see no reason why they shouldn't if they want to. Christmas these days doesn't have a lot to do with God and religion anyway. Christmas wasn't always a Christian holiday, why should Atheists (or anyone) be excluded from the spirit of the season? The spirit of giving, brotherhood, good will toward your fellow man, and all the other stuff which seems to only be important at this time of year...for some.

I know non-Christians who celebrate the holiday because they look at it as a time for their families to get together. Businesses are closed and it allows them time to celebrate their year and families.

Why do YOU celebrate on December 25 then? That date was a Roman celebration (Sol Invictus) picked by Christians, since the Bible does not mention when was Jesus born. I guess you don't fix a christmas tree either, since that is another pagan tradition from Northern peoples. Since you are a faithful christian, I suppose you don't give away presents because that was the Roman tradition of their beautiful celebration (not the false tale of St. Nicholas). I am an atheist and celebrate the seasons with a living cypress tree, give presents to my family and celebrate the renewal of life. It is fair, it is humane, it is legitimate and it is not only christian. It is good to read http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

Because it is theri right to do so! What do we have here the religion police one more time? Mr Bill

i'm an atheist and i have a lovely christmas tree. i don't believe in the meaning of it, but i look forward to the time with my family. and it gives one hope becasue every one is happy at that time of year. well normally, i'm a very positive person so i love holiday's with family. i love easter aswell. i was brought up in a christian home, even thow my father was an atheist aswell.

You people forget and or deliberate ignore the little fact that this time of the year was stolen by the Christians from the Pagans who celebrated the solstice. I realize that you're stating that we are hypocrites so, you tell me, who's more hypocrite, Atheists for putting up a fake tree and blowing their money or you for pawning the crap on the rest of society and celebrating the alleged birth of the most humble being in your history by getting into debt upto your arm pits thru the practice of excessive consumerism, eh?

Christmas trees are about Peace and joy for the world. God is God and a tree is a tree! Why not! atheists are not against family;peace and fun times!

I celebrate the solstice. :)

Winter solstice. Hoo rah. No gods allowed, just the love of the land.

Adopting a tradition is different from 'adopting' an entire festival. Poppers + party hats are not traditions, they are amenities that contribute to a party. Putting up a decorated conifer tree is a tradition, with a specific meaning and purpose which is diluted and removed by its 'adoption' by Christianity. Combine this with the 'adoption' of every other related tradition of the festival, and I for one call that theft.

Because everyone else does. One could be an athiest and still enjoy the decorations, lights, gift exchanges, parties, excuse to eat unhealthy food, believers and other people being in a better mood, dressing up in a Santa suit, etc. I know Jewish people who get into it too. Who doesn't enjoy seeing little children's eyes light up? The day(s) around December 25th has nothing to do with the Christian religion anyway, it is an old pagan holiday, Yule (Dec 21st - 25th or thereabouts). Pagans could see the sun's position in the sky rising after the solstice on about the 25th with the naked eye meaning that the days will in fact get longer again. The sun stays at its lowest point in the sky for 3 days after the solstice and then starts to rise. Bible scholars who know their stuff say that Christ was actually born in the springtime. Mormons say April 16th.

Culture. Why do you use products knowing that there is a possibility that an Atheist could have made them?

i do it for the cookies.

Hell ya. I'm all for happy cheer and yule time carrage.

christmas is only christian if one goes to mass on christmas eve. did you go to christmas mass? christmas is a hallmark holiday. its a retail holiday. it is a family get together day. its a day promoted by capitalism. so very little of christmas is really church related. its a christian joke, really.

God is debatable... Christmas dinner, presents, egg nog, day off of work... that's all pretty conclusive

I celebrate the change of season with a lit-up evergreen decorated with rocking horse ornaments and gather together with family to exchange gifts with loved ones, listening to songs about sleigh rides, magic snowmen and flying reindeer. None of that has anything remotely to do with Christian dogma. I do appreciate the truly Christian desire for Peace on Earth, but you don't need to follow a god to hate war.

Christmas is also Yule, a celebration of winter, and a time to get together with family. None of those have anything to do with the Christian God.

its a lovely celebration of a time when a lot of humanity offer feelings of love, peace and joy, when families unite, friendships are thought of, things stop for a few hours to allow the spirit to just feel, float. thats well worth celebrating ! :)

This time of year has many festivities aside from Christmas. Saturnalia, for example: From Wikipedia: Saturnalia's relation to Christmas Christians in the fourth century assigned December 25 (the Winter Solstice on the Julian calendar) as Christ's birthday (and thus Christmas) because pagans already observed this day as a holiday. As the dates of Saturnalia are not precisely coincident with Christmas, a more refined argument is that Christmas was set on the feast of Sol Invictus, which was on December 25, and which had supplanted Saturnalia. However, with many of the traditions of Saturnalia incorporated into Sol Invictus, it is possible that some of those traditions — such as the exchanging of gifts — were also carried forward as a part of the Christian holiday.

I celebrate Christmas because I like pretty things... Lights, colors, tectures, smells, tastes, hugs, presents, acknowledgement, feeling good, making others feel good, participating. All the things that represent being alive. The holy, religious part is always a mystery that I believe people embrace for the fear of the unknown and the insecurity of not being part of something that they think might be bigger than themselves. I happen to enjoy lights, colors, tectures, smells, etc. every moment even when I sleep. So I, therefore, believe that the gift of life is Christmas every day. I am truly satisfied with celebrating the solstice because it is apparent and obviously bigger than all of the above. I enjoy the innate knowledge that I am gifted with and the opportunity to watch the masses as if I were in the audience watching the nutcracker. On Christmas eve, I have been known to go to the biggest cathedrals because I like to be entertained. I love the singing and the flowers, and most importantly trying to recreate the sense of belonging in the world in an artificial, theatrical way because the only truly way that I feel connected to a higher power is through nature and being in the moment. I have to sign off now because I going into the woods to collect moss for my christmas tree. Peace

Why does anyone celebrate a pagan ritual like that?

They believe in Santa Claus.

its fun ! and you can hardly ignore it-i even went to church once for mothering suday , to honour my mother in what she wanted just for an hour-its the least i could do

Because we get tired of being labeled a wet blanket when we don't.

It's more like putting up with it rather than celebrating it, it's incredibly difficult to avoid Christmas, regardless of your religious beliefs.

because face it. christmas has very very little to do with the birth of christ lately. its all about what we want and know we will get for christmas.

It's the winter solstice and the Pagan roots when people lived by the seasons and their attachment to nature. Christmas is a high jacking of pagan origin so why do Christians celebrate Pagan rituals. (Just like my spell check corrects a missed capitol letter on christians but not Pagans.)

Because we want to.

Why do many Christians that celebrate Christmas seem to think it is all about gifts? Some of both do what they want for several different reason -if you can tell me why all Christians do any one thing I'll tell you why all Atheists do one thing; being a part of any group doesn't not mean your are clones, or clowns although both groups most likely have their share of both. +5

Because they feel left out. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. lmao. Not just atheists you know. People like Hindus, Seeks, and much much more people who have immigrated to north america also celebrate Christmas. It is not just a Christian tradition but vast more with different faiths also celebrate for it.

Because no one else will invite them in.

It's not a religious holiday just because someone says it is. Santa Claus and Peter Rabbit are not religious. Holidays are to celebrate family and friends and love.

Christmas is a pagan holiday disguised as Christian.

It is fun for them.

This is a recycled question

Holiday is easy to accept!

Not all atheists celebrate it. Some people who are not Christians celebrate it in their own way. 99.54% of the people in Japan are not Christians, but some of us observe Xmas differently than in the Americas and Europe. I have never celebrated it.

cause they like the holiday

To reflect on when Jesus died to save our sins.

For the same reason Christians celebrate Halloween.They enjoy many aspects of the holiday regardless of it's origin. And, as others have mentions, it was originally a Pagan holiday anyway. More importantly, why are some Christians so obsessed with what Atheists say or do? As long as Christians don't attempt to force their ideology on us we couldn't care less what they do or say.

Even Christians are not supposed to celebrate Xmas...because t is NOT Jesus' birthday... It is an introduced pagan celebration. Not at all supported by scripture.

Actually, extreme atheists do not celebrate Xmas. They are militantly opposed to theism, theists, and religious traditions.

Due to greed..They want gifts,food and drinks.

Just one more holiday!

For the same reason that Christians celebrate Halloween.

cause they like to visit with their families too

We're not celebrating the birth of Christ. We're celebrating a fun winter holiday as our ancient, pre-Christian ancestors did. Such celebrations are age-old, marking the completion of the harvest and functioning as a joyful interval before the darkest days of the cold season commence.

Christmas is an amalgamation of different pagan holidays, so yes it's origins are religious. Atheists appear to be ok with celebrating this though, as do some Christians.

They like getting gifts.

For the commercialism aspect - same as a lot of others.