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Comment by Steven M. on January 16, 2012 at 4:02pm

Me and my finace are in Fond du Lac.

Comment by ParrotPirate on January 16, 2012 at 10:25am

Is anybody in the group in the Appleton/Valley area?

Comment by Carolyn R on November 8, 2011 at 1:57pm

I'm more or less out by accident. When I was 16 my very religious Grandma pulled me aside and said "We love you, you are always welcome here, anytime, but feel free to NOT come by on Christmas eve." Which was my family's big day for celebrating. I felt slightly flabbergasted and rejected, then I thought about it for about 5 seconds and was SO happy. This wasn't even necessarily about religion, just that I was a bit of an anarchist, or something, a punker, and basically getting a free pass NOT to participate so I didn't have to feel uncomfortable and make everyone else uncomfortable, it was the best Christmas present ever!

 

When I went to college I ended up hosting Anti-Christmas parties for whoever wasn't doing anything else on the 24 & 25th so I got a really fun & random mix of kids who either didn't want to bother to go home because they didn't celebrate, or who were unwelcome at home for whatever reason, so: secular kids, Jews, Hindus, gay kids, cartoon satanists, pagans, kids too broke to go fly home, loads of people I didn't even know before the holiday who heard in one way or another about my "Anti-Christmas parties", it was super fun. One time a kid I never even met made flyers!

 

Then years later my daughter was born and I wrecked my perfect record of 20 Christ-free Christmases with an ill advised trip to my in-laws (at the time). I had thought "Oh, maybe I'm being a bit of an extremist" or some such nonsense, but nope. I look forward to my next old-fashioned Saturnalia now more than ever. :)

My little girl is great at interrupting people who say "The reason for the season" with "is the TILT of the EARTH!" so precious. I didn't teach her that either! She picked it up by accident. She's slightly militant. heh heh heh

Comment by jenny on November 8, 2011 at 11:52am

I don't point out things to my Christian cousin.  I just have another glass of wine and smile.  Love the advice, people!

Comment by Erin K. Clark on November 8, 2011 at 11:17am

I'm out to both my family and my husband's, but it's like they can't hear me. I usually try to refer to it casually lest I cause I major incident, but it doesn't seem to stop anyone from suggesting "group" prayers at mealtime. And yes, we also have to do the "Jesus is the reason for the season!" thing. I know better, of course, but in a roomful of Christians the last thing you want to say is "pagan tradition".

Comment by Troy Gorsline on November 7, 2011 at 2:06pm

Another point. I am loosly organizing a Yuletide party - originally a pagan festival. Christians eventually moved the celebration of thier god's birth to the pagan new year as a method of mission work (as well as an attempt to take over a popular festival). So tell your cousin the charols were all originally sung to Odin. Maybe that'll help.

Comment by Eric Hildeman on November 7, 2011 at 2:04pm

Sorry, I meant December 25th, of course, not 21st.

Comment by Eric Hildeman on November 7, 2011 at 2:01pm

Something to point out to your cousin: Shepherds watching their flocks by night is not something that would happen during the colder months. Jesus' birthday is therefore definitely NOT December 21st, nor January 1st.  More likely, it would be sometime in August or September, based on just that one scriptural reference alone.

 

I say New Year's Day ought to be July 20th - the day we landed on the Moon.

Comment by jenny on November 7, 2011 at 1:55pm

At Christmas my cousin won't shut up about, "This is Jesus's birthday!"  My boyfriend and I, on the other hand, sing Anti-Christmas carols.  Carolyn, I like how you celebrate the holiday.  I like the gatherings of relatives that I go to on Xmas eve and Xmas day, but there is always this religious undertone.  I am not OUT as an atheist amongst the relatives.

Comment by Carolyn R on November 3, 2011 at 10:54pm

For Madison folks there's a skeptics meet-up on the east side at Dexter's Pub this next Wednesday the 9th. I'm not sure if it's disallowed by Meet Up to cross post the meetings like this, so pardon me if it's bad netiquette or whatever.

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