The religious origins of Christmas are meaningless to me. I don't feel offended when someone wishes me "Merry Christmas!", it may mask an assumption that I am indeed a Christian, but I just see it as a seasonal greeting. And the cribs and Jebus carols don't bother me in the least.
(My cat doesn't approve, however.)
Aside from the exams that notoriously precede the holiday, I love Christmas. I love seeing the tree sitting cozily in the corner and smelling that christmas tree smell. I love how nearly everyone is on holiday and are usually in good spirits because of it. I love the general social scene that surrounds it. The snow, the nice food, knowing that skiing usually follows it, I love it all. It may be typical, but I love the simplicity and unoriginality of it all. It's such a break from the rest of the year.
I don't follow any of the traditions to commemorate baby Jebus, I simply abide by some of them because they're what I associate with Christmas. I thoroughly enjoy the annual pedantic Christmas tree hunt for the best and most awesome tree and I love when people are over for a big Christmas feast. Now I'm not that big on turkey, but the blackberry crumble afterwards more than makes up for it. And of course - I'm stuck in the terrible habit of agreeing to go surfing on the 26th with one of my buddies. It's never a good idea, yet I can't pass it up...
And so, my Christmas is a happy one. And things don't seem too different this year, thankfully. Exams are over, it's a winter wonderland outside, I can smell the tree from where I write this and I'm off skiing & snowboarding in a few weeks with friends. Life is good. And so is Christmas.
Happy holidays, folks.
