Thank you, very much. I won't bore you and everyone else with details, but if you are interested, fire off a PM and I can give a bit of insight.
You might call my household "different," "eclectic," or even "confusing." I've come to acknowledge myself as Buddhist over the past few years after a very long time of introspection and thought-meaning decades. Mrs. Doc is probably best described as non-theistic. Not atheistic necessarily-religion simply doesn't play a part in her life. My oldest daughter considers herself a "Philosophical Daoist," which takes a very long time to understand for such a simple concept, and my youngest daughter considers herself a Lutheran.
However, we also celebrate Christmas in our household, and not just for the gifts. I will admit I like a Christmas tree, though. If I am able to make it home from work in time, I will probably take my youngest to the late Christmas Eve services. If everyone will bear with me (AND THE PC CROWD TAKE NOTE) this is part of what I posted last year as to why I celebrate Christmas:
"Simply put, the answer is two-fold. First, Christmas to me is a cultural holiday. That is, it has, up until recently, been a holiday of commonality, where we Americans, coming from many and varied backgrounds, could find something that we could share, that could help us see similarities which bring us closer, rather than divide us, as a vocal few would have it do in this day and age. While we can all say "we are Americans," it is a tradition beyond that label that can help unite us if we so desire. I believe the importance of that is often overlooked.
Second, and, yes, more importantly, is the message of the season. Divinity aside (and I mean no offense in saying that), the message of Jesus is an important one. His message on how we treat one another as people, as brothers, is immensely important. Certain Buddhist sects recognize what is called a "bodhisattva," a person who has reached a stage of enlightenment, but chooses to remain here on earth in order to help others. Some liken Jesus to a bodhisattva, and the reason why can be clearly seen. Jesus was concerned first and foremost with his fellow man. Regardless of our faith, we can learn a lot from him. In that light, I see additional reason to recognize him, his birth, and to contemplate his message for us, of peace on earth.
So, with the above in mind, I sincerely wish all of you a very, Merry Christmas, and wish that you and yours find peace and happiness in the coming year."
