As an atheist Christmas is no longer a religious holiday for me. But having been raised in a Christian home, Christmas carols and Christmas decorations bring back happy childhood memories of gifts, decorating the Christmas tree, singing carols in the car as we drove downtown looking at the store windows, the big family dinner, and the pleasant exhaustion we all felt as the light of day waned.

In those days the theme of Christmas was "Peace on Earth, Goodwill To Men" The newspapers were full of stories about Jews volunteering to work at hospitals, manning the police phones, etc. so Christians could spend this very special day with their families. It seemed as though people bent over backward to be kind and considerate of other's feelings and religious beliefs. Even my freaky fundy parents taught us to outwardly respect the beliefs of others.read more »

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