Non-religious (or lightly religious) Christmas traditions

0 votes

I grew up in a fairly religious household; my husband in a non-religious one. We are raising our kids lightly religious (we go to church sometimes; I tell them I believe in God, he says he doesn't, etc.). We now have kids (oldest is in Kindergarten) and want to have some Christmas traditions of our own, but he is opposed to doing very religious things. Any ideas for traditions?

So far we: have them choose toys for kids their ages and take the kids along when we donate them.

go buy special Christmas chocolate.

have a Christmas party for the kids and their friends where we decorate cookies and make crafts.

have an Advent calendar where we do an activity each day such as ride a Christmas train, eat a candy cane, take Christmas cookies to a nursing home, deorate a tree with edible ornaments for animals (as in the book Night Tree), look at Christmas lights.

It sounds like a lot, but it doesn't feel like we are really doing very much. I want Christmas to feel like Christmas, and it doesn't really, at least not for me. Is this just a function of getting older and being the one responsible for making things Christmasy?

Anonymous

Nov 25, 2009

5 Answers

  • 2 votes

    I LOVE that your first new tradition is donating toys to needy kids. If you were to only keep one tradition, I would hope this is the one.

    Personally, I'm really bad at thinking about others, and xmas time is a great time to try to consciously be better at that. So, although you may not think you're doing much, you've reminded /inspired me to do better, thank you!
    thisislarry

    dad to a 10yo and a 8yo
    Palo Alto, CA

    Dec 8, 2009

  • 0 votes

    Sounds to me like you are doing a lot. Do you feel a need to have more build-up through December, or are you looking for things to do on Xmas eve and day, and maybe boxing day?

    What are your family nationality backgrounds - are there aspects there that you could draw from that would be secular but relevant, and feel special to your family? For example, in Scandinavia, Christmas eve has a lot of emphasis, and you could find things to do from there, if that was relevant to you.

    Anonymous

    Nov 25, 2009

  • 0 votes

    I think a lot of Christmas is tradition, and with a new family, you can make & set the traditions you want. So, make Christmas into what you (and your spouse) want it to be. It might feel forced for the first year or two, but you could come up with some simple activities that you enjoy that will make it "feel like Christmas" after a year or two. Here are some suggestions:

    • Going to a "cut your own tree" place.
    • Baking cookies.
    • Having a big party with friends.
    • Visiting with relatives and family.
    • Making your own decorations.

    And, I agree that drawing on some international traditions would be a great idea. I think the best non-denominational holiday celebrations are the ones that incorporate many aspects of many different religions and traditions.

    Steve Lacy

    "Daddy do it!"
    Silicon Valley

    Nov 26, 2009

  • 0 votes

    How about incorporating special " Christmas" music? Classical music offers many selections. Handel, Bach, and many other composers have written " Sacred" music that is especially appropriate at Christmas time. " Ancient" Carols from Europe, Italy, England and France are particularly festive. If the words are offensive, these pieces can be found in instrumental versions which are lovely.

    Come to think of it, there are many " Christmas" instrumental CD's out there. You can hear the music and enjoy the spirit, without words. If young children are brought up without hearing many of the words, they are still given an appreciation of the festivity of the season with music ! But --- we can't control what we hear on the radio-- so you might consider turning that off ! :-)

    - Suzanne, Dec 5, 2009
    Suzanne

    Dec 3, 2009

  • 0 votes

    My parents are non-religious but from catholic families. We grew up with clear atheistic views, but we still celebrated Christmas with a fair amount of religious traditions. We had a nativity scene under our tree and we sang songs about baby Jesus for instance. But it never really felt religious. I guess we saw it as being part of the cultural heritage from our families.

    Anonymous

    Dec 1, 2009



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