Celebrations and holidays we celebrate in our society are often tied to religious traditions, leaving some of us non-believers questioning our approach to how and why we observe them. Many religious occasions were, however, co-opted from 'pagan' festivals that have been celebrated for eons (for example, winter solstice and Christmas, Easter and spring equinox), and we still have a need or yearning for ritual and communal celebration. Celebrations and holidays provide the grounding for us to ritualistically connect with our families, friends and communities. As such, we still gravitate towards marking these events even though any religious significance is not a part of it or has fallen away from focus.

Sure, there are challenges within this. How do we help our children, grandchildren and those we care for to navigate this in the absence of faith? Is it ethical to lie to our children and grandchildren about Santa Claus? But would we want them to miss out on the joy of Christmas that their peers indulge in?

This is why HA has collated this list of thoughtful and useful articles to help reassure our supporters that there is value in maintaining these customs and rituals, even if we don’t subscribe to the believe-based approach and do things a little differently in observing them.

Should you celebrate Christmas if you’re not religious? by Dr Tim Dean at The Ethics Centre

I’m a humanist who loves Christmas – for me, it’s much more than a religious event, by Andrew Copson, Humanists UK

A Humanist’s guide to the holidays, by Jennifer Hancock, Humanist Learning Systems

How to unwrap Christmas and Santa for the little atheists in your life, by Peter Ellerton at The University of Queensland’s UQ Critical Thinking Project