[whalesalad]

Meanwhile a huge number of us (non-religious? introverted kernel compiling cave dwellers?) treat this period no differently than any other week in the year. I'll be here keepin the servers runnin :horns:

It's actually my favorite time of the year. Everyone is gone, it is quiet, and I can get shit done.

[sneak]

Holidays are special because they’re special, both the winter solstice festival (rebranded for christianity) and the spring equinox one (same deal) can be treated differently for cultural variety by the non-observant.

I’m a militant proselytizing atheist raised by a jew and I still have a tree with pretty lights, give presents, and drink and eat some things I only drink/eat once per year (never make homemade eggnog if you ever want to enjoy it guilt free again, you’re basically drinking a megacalorie of heavy cream, yum). It’s fun to celebrate the generic concept of “holiday” - a time that is different from other times.

You’re allowed to feel nice about peppermint candy (and/or chocolate gelt, I go for both) at the end of December without bringing the supernatural into the equation. :)

\m/

[CoastalCoder]

> never make homemade eggnog if you ever want to enjoy it guilt free again, you’re basically drinking a megacalorie of heavy cream, yum

Solid advice. I literally put on 5 lbs. while refining my non-alcoholic eggnog recipe.

One thing I noticed is that ice cream, crème brûlée, and non-alcoholic eggnog are all just variations on the same recipe. A glass of egg nog is pretty similar to a glass of melted ice cream.

[whalesalad]

Oh ya same I love the smell of evergreen wreaths and trees and enjoy partaking in festive activities. A 4K cracklin’ Yule log goes a long way too.

[nonameiguess]

Certainly doesn't have to be religious. I think you probably have all your family living near each other or don't like them. To me, this is the only time of year outside of major events like weddings, funerals, and graduations that I can be reasonably assured my parents, all my sisters, all of my nieces and nephews, and at least a few aunts, uncles, and cousins will all be in the same place at the same time. It's both nice and convenient to be able to travel to one place and see all of them together. It's the kind of thing that can only realistically happen at a coordinated national level, and if took a religious holiday to give the country an excuse to give us all a holiday at the same time, I'm fine with that even if I don't practice the religion.

[whalesalad]

> I think you probably have all your family living near each other or don't like them

Bingo!

[DonHopkins]

Just like San Francisco during Burning Man!

Build A 300-Mile Wall Around SF During Burning Man:

https://web.archive.org/web/20190213021206/https://megagogo....

>A community effort to construct a 300-mile wall in one week and prevent Burning Man attendees from returning to the Bay Area.

>About This Project

>We want to help Burning Man attendees continue their favorite week of the year, and allow them to keep experiencing the genuine community and deep connections they can only feel while at Burning Man. To do this, we will build a 300-mile wall around the entire Bay Area during Burning Man.

>For the rest of us, what’s normally our favorite week of the year… lasts forever!

[kaashif]

> non-religious

Or a member of one of the religions that don't celebrate Christmas.

[muzani]

It's me. But we still have a holiday period at the end of year - normally financial targets are hit and it's a 4 day leave to get 10 days off.

[JCharante]

When I did shift work I always volunteered for the holidays because I don't care about holidays.

[anytime5704]

I’m surprised more people don’t know this.

I love end of year because nobody’s pushing anything or needs help.

Then you take vacation in January when the floodgates open.

[x86x87]

People know it but they're eager beavers.

The right way: slow way the fuck down to the point you're practically on vacation during the holidays without taking vacation. Take your vacation during other times in the year.

[globular-toast]

I do partake in Christmas stuff now because my family appreciates it. But I used to love the quiet around Christmas. One year also I just completely forgot my own birthday. It was a good day (I started editing OpenStreetMap on that day).

[actionfromafar]

You may have something special to do this holiday then :)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38727987

[_kb]

100% - as a fairly staunch atheist though I do enjoy the small pause in reality to catch up on life admin, volunteer, or even just sit in the sun and drink beer.