Long before Christianity, humans across Europe gathered together at the darkest and coldest time of the year to feast and appreciate each other’s company. For most people in United Kingdom, Christmas is about enjoying food and drink, giving presents, and appreciating the one life we have with the people we love. No time of year better sums up the values and qualities that humanists hold most dear. Here, several famous humanists share what Christmas means to them.
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Very much so. It represents an opportunity to come together as a family, bring together communities, and celebrate connection with others. That there is a time of year set aside to exchange gifts, care, attention, and affection with other people feels to me that, at its core, celebrating Christmas upholds all the basic principles of what humanism is about. It’s a time to step out of the routines that we fall into during the year – whether they are healthy habits or unhealthy ruts – and just be present and connected with loved ones. It gives us all a chance to take a breath and an objective look at what the last year has brought us: what we did right and what we’d do differently. A time to reflect, recharge, and reset – hopefully going into the new year a bit more aware, a bit more understanding, and a bit kinder.
What do you do on the day?
My family is quite dispersed these days, and my siblings both work in the NHS. So, we feel lucky if their shifts align, and we can all manage to get together. But when we do, they are always the best Christmas Days. This year, we’re all going to be at my Mum’s in Devon. My sister’s kids will get up first, absolutely beside themselves with excitement. They’re too old for Santa now, but they still feel the magic and anticipation of receiving gifts. Pleasingly, these days they’re just as excited by the idea of giving them too.
Once they’ve dragged the rest of us out of bed, we’ll emerge bleary-eyed into the living room and unwrap all of our gifts to each other. Although, since I’m doing the cooking, I’ll take a moment to warm up some mulled wine and mince pies so that the house smells of Christmas. Around mid-morning, I’ll start cooking, and by about 2 pm, we’ll sit down for Christmas lunch.
My Mum is on gravy duty, as no one in the world makes gravy like my Mother. Even though she’s given me the (very simple) recipe, only she seems to have the knack for the perfect result. When we’re done, we’ll all help to clean up and then sit down to play one of the board games that will have undoubtedly been gifted to each other. My brother-in-law prefers collaborative board games as opposed to competing against one another, and although I was skeptical a few years ago, I’m a real convert now.
In the evening, we’ll warm up some leftovers while the kids go off to enjoy their presents and watch a Christmas film – my choices would be either ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ or ‘Die Hard’ (yes, it’s a Christmas film! I always enjoy the fact that my Mum’s first choice would be ‘Die Hard’ too!) Finally, we’ll try to play a game that involves communicating with one another to catch up on what’s been going on in each other’s lives. Even now, if we ask our Mum the right questions, she’ll give us insights into her life that we never knew, whether it’s about her childhood, our grandparents, or just funny things she’s thought of along the way.
In a very rock and roll way, during an evening film, I’ll usually pass out on the sofa around 9 pm in a haze of mince pies, chocolate, mulled wine, and contentment. I’ll get prodded awake by the kids so I can take myself off to bed.
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Occasionally, friends who know I’m a humanist have questioned why I would celebrate Christmas. While Christians may choose to commemorate the birth of Jesus on 25 December, I don’t see any reason why others shouldn’t enjoy a midwinter ritual whose roots go back much further than the origins of Christianity. I love the sparkle of sunlight on frosty hedgerows, the crunch of icy grass underfoot, choosing gifts for my family and friends, the smell of cinnamon and cloves in mulled wine, and decorating the tree. I even have a soft spot for a nativity play. After all, you can enjoy a good myth without believing in it.
What does this time of year mean to you?
I love Christmas. At this very special time of year, when the sun appears only fleetingly to those of us living in the northern hemisphere, I feel a deep connection with ancient ancestors. I like to go for wintry walks on crisp days in pale winter sunshine, finding a Neolithic monument or an Iron Age hillfort to explore with my children. It also feels right to hunker down, be with friends and family, celebrate friendship with the exchange of gifts, and give to good causes. I love creating coziness at home – a bit of Danish hygge – with candles and firelight, holly, and pine cones. It’s all ‘good for the soul.’
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Of course I do. Humans have been gathering at this time of year, partying, eating too much for millennia. Who am I to stand against 4000 years of history? It means a slowing of the pace. A focus on the family. The end of a frenetic autumn. A pause for celebration, indulgence, contemplation. A pause from email and messages. A reset.
What do you do on the day?
We’re very innovative. We open presents, eat a lot, and argue about the best recipe for roast potatoes, drink, remember Christmases past, and phone distant loved ones.
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Yes, of course. I even celebrated Christmas as a boy growing up in Iraq as part of my cultural upbringing with an English mother. It was the most exciting and magical time of the year for us – even though I officially identified as a Muslim, following my father’s religion, and had to ask for the day off school since it was not a public holiday. My siblings and I followed all the usual Western traditions at home – something I later continued with my own children. There was never any religious flavor to it, but we’ve always enjoyed the associated stories and myths. It is a time to reflect on the year, look ahead to the new year with optimism, and a sense of goodwill. It is also the time of year I make my famous coffee fudge (a recipe I have now perfected after more than thirty years) and distribute little bags of it as gifts for family and friends.
What do you do on the day?
We get together as a family, either as hosts or staying with my son or daughter – both of whom are recently married. We exchange gifts and eat too much, like everyone does. Whether or not we spend Christmas day at home, we always have a big tree in our living room and Christmas lights all over the house. Times have changed since my children grew up, so inevitably it is not quite as magical on Christmas mornings as it was when we fed off their excitement opening their presents. One tradition still remains, though: bacon sandwiches for breakfast!
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Hell yes – I’m all for pagan winter feasts and weird syncretic mashups: humanists are not party-pooping puritans after all… I always listen to the Festival of Carols from King’s too. I mean, I love Greek myths without believing in them, and I’m allowed to enjoy beautiful music in beautiful settings without swallowing the whole incarnation myth. I list all the TV channels I’m appearing on, in some dumb programme or elderly repeat, and avoid them. A lot of cooking too!
What does this time of year mean to you?
Food, friends, frolic, gaiety, and games.
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
We love Christmas in our house and drag it out for as long as possible. This includes a Swedish feast on the 24th of December, with gravadlax, hearty singing of ‘Helan Går,’ and aquavit. Christmas day is military in its planning, and a full roast will be served at 3 pm precisely. We toast the living and the dead, followed by sofa snoozing, board games, and being with my family, as many as we can squeeze in.
What does this time of year mean to you?
For us, that’s what Christmas is all about: family. Four generations of our extended clan being noisy and feasting. And then a Boxing Day trip to Portman Road. Our traditions evolve, because change is the only constant.
Do you celebrate Christmas as a humanist?
Yes! It’s an occasion for family and trying to decipher signatures on Christmas cards!
What do you do on the day?
Ideally, it’s a day spent with family in the Lake District – a long walk during the day, followed by a traditional Christmas meal in the evening.
Notes
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