This is my pathetic little attempt at explaining how I think of Christmas as both a cartoonist and an atheist. I was raised with it being a more-or-less secular holiday. Of course, my parents didn’t raise me with any sort of religious background, so that’s not surprising. Instead of church as the background noise of my childhood, I had Star Trek. Christmas was about snow and lights and making cookies and decorating trees and giving presents and being with family. Whatever connection I made between the holiday and the birth of Jesus was put on the same level with stories about elves making toys on the North Pole. It was a nice story. While I didn’t necessarily think they were untrue, I didn’t believe them in a literal way, if that makes any sense. I still think they’re nice stories.
Unfortunately, it’s a rather different sort of Christmas now than it was last year. I’ll just leave it at that.
Well said–that is exactly how it is (and was like) for me as well. Now that I’ve married into a Christian family, to whom the various traditions play a larger role in their holiday, I’ve realized just how much my secular Christmases were different. But I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Hope you have a great new year!
Star Trek trumps religion any day of the week! Happy New year D!
no one commented on this one,
well… So… Christmas as some one who struggles or does not believe in got (me), And stuck down in the bible belt (I use to live in Vermont) I always get the question, well what do you believe in, and I answer back, The goodness of people. I hope its out there, you some times get to see it and I try my hardest to practice it. I give what I can, take a little as possible and treat others the way the should be treated and how I would like to be treated. It can be a struggle some times, but when was life easy?
Love you comic and writing style, hope you had a great holiday, and I hope you have a great 2010
Squid
Hey! I love your comic!
I just came across your comic and just wanted to say that I really enjoyed what you have here, especially this one because I was very much the same as a child. My brain is still a bit of a mob scene.