The joy of secular Christmas

Even without believing in the divinity of Jesus, I think that I mark the holiday the same way as many of the faithful—a time to donate to causes I believe in, to welcome the winter from the comfort of a warm home, and, most importantly, to reconnect with family and friends. It’s not that I dislike or have anything against religion. I admire, even envy the faithful, and I don’t consider myself an atheist. But I can’t fake a religious feeling I don’t possess. And I’d rather celebrate Christmas my way—with gifts, a tree, and eating and drinking too much—than to lie to myself and to whatever god is out there by hypocritically going through the sacred motions of the traditional holiday.