> > I know that my own Christmas did not have even the slightest element of Christian meaning involved. In fact, I don't think I even *saw* any overtly religious symbolism or celebrations during my various excursions around town on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
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> I'm "not a Christian" (hi Howard) either, and don't celebrate Christmas, but sometimes will help with setting up a friends tree or something. I isn't a Jewish holiday, but then again neither is Haloween. That was actually originally a Christian holiday that became integrated into common culture. The same thing happened with Valentine's Day. Those were a little different from Christmas, however. They are pretty much just fun things to do. Christmas is actually celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Adding to my previous reply:

There isn't really any difference between the secularisation of Halloween, Valentine's Day and Christmas. Saying the secularisation of the first two was different because they're "just fun things to do" goes against the whole point you are trying to make. They have BECOME just fun things to do, for the majority of the population, but they were once events of great religious significance to somebody, just as Christmas is to Christians today.

A secular Christmas is also "just a fun thing to do", in the sense that you are using. That doesn't remove the fact that it is also a special and significant time for many people who either have no strong devotion to Christianity, or are in fact active disbelievers.