christmas to me

ever since i can remember, christmas to me has never been a religious holiday. coming from a non-religious family, i didn't have to go to church or do other religious shenangins my classmates did. there is a bit of a buddhist flair in some of my parent's teaching, but i think that's more cultural than religious. 

that's why i get confused when someone once asked: wait, if you're not religious why do you celebrate christmas? the answer is simple, i believe christmas has transformed into a cultural holiday over the ages. (i think there's a more sophisticated response [ like the true origin of the tree ], but this is just my personal view.) the cookies, the milk, the warm fire, the bright lights, the presents.....don't have anything to do with any religion. christmas to me is waking up at 8am to open presents, it's decorating the tree with lights and do-dads, it's walking down the street and seeing dangling lights in the distance, it's listening to christmas songs on the radio as the streetlamps vroom past the iced car window, it's drinking hot chocolate and laughing with family, it's eating great food with family, it's just a time where things are honestly just "jolly" and happy.