Christmas is not just about a religion anymore. There are, in my view, 2 Christmases. There is the CHrist child birth celebration - and by the way, the day to celebrate it on was arbitrarily picked and actually based on an Egyptian holiday rather than when Christ was born (which is unknown). Then there is the modern day consumer culture gluttonous overbuying overeating overdrinking (yeah [img]smile.gif[/img] ) bullshit that is the holiday season.
As was noted above, the Christ child bit did not begin as a gift giving thing, and the story of the Magi is at best a loose connection to gift giving that was made as an afterthought justification.
But, I take this time of year for what it's worth. I take vacation, visit family, pack on pounds, guzzle scotch, and spend s**tloads of money. Why not - if the world has invented an excuse for us all I'll buy into it and let my id monster run amuck with the rest for a bit.
Plus, especially in a year like this, I revel in my decadence while remaining satisfied that I have fulfilled my civic duty to the world. Stores make 80% of their profits in December, with months 1-11 merely paying the year's bills for the most part. The economy in a world so capable of hyper-production is absolutely reliant on hyper-consumption to balance it all out - just ask J.M. Keynes (oops - he's dead, oh well).
Sure, all this trash and leftover computer and electronic bullshit that got outdated 6 mos. after production will likely bury us in a greasy dinosaur-bone-fuel drenched waste pit that one day consumes us all - not to mention the mounds and mounds of unused clothes that were (and MUST MUST be, to support the economy - see above) tossed out, given away, used as a goodwill tax deduction, or turned into carwash rags - all of which may just one day come to life, rise from the ashes like a perverted phoenix, and go a-slouching toward Bethlehem like some new wave Gap-wearing oil-soaked retro-Barbie-Bohemian monster straight out of Yates's worst Catholicism-induced nightmares.
But, in the end we're all dead anyway.
And that's why I celebrate Christmas, aetheist that I am.
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