A Humanists Guide to the Holiday. All your questions about how a Humanist celebrates Christmas and the other winter holidays answered by an actual Humanist. Relax - it's just Christmas.

1. A Humanist’s
Guide to the
Holidays
Prepared by
Jennifer Hancock, Humanist

2. What Holiday do Humanists
Celebrate?
The Humanist Winter
Holiday is called:
HumanLight.
However, we are also
free to celebrate other
holidays, or no holidays.
It all depends on
personal preference.

3. Do Humanists celebrate
Christmas?
Some of us do. Some of
us don’t.
Again, there are no rules.
If celebrating Christmas
makes you happy, go
ahead and celebrate it.

4. What other holidays do you
celebrate?
My family celebrates:
• Saturnalia
• Human Light
• Christmas
• Kwanzaa
• Hanukkah
• Solstice
• Festivus
& whatever other holidays occur at this time of the year. We have yet
to meet a holiday we haven’t liked.
Our motto: If there is a party and there is food involved
– we want in.

5. Do Humanists tell their kids
about baby Jesus?
Yes.
Religious Literacy is
important to us. Literacy is
important to us.
My son knows the story of
how Jesus was born and that
the celebration of his birth is
one of the many reasons
why people celebrate during
the winter holidays.

6. But he also knows about
 Saturn & Saturnalia - and
the origins of the
Phrygian cap Santa
wears
 Hanukkah – he plays the
dreidel and lights the
menorah and knows the
story of the miracle of
lights.
 And that axial tilt is the
real reason for the
season.

7. What do you tell your child about
Santa? That depends on the Humanist.
Some of us use Santa as a way to
teach skepticism to our child – by
letting them figure it out on their
own.
Others prefer to not do Santa at
all.
We don’t have any rules.
Whatever works for you & makes
you happy is fine with us.

8. Is it ok to say “Merry Christmas” to a
Humanist?
 We prefer “Happy Holidays” – since we celebrate so many of
them.
 However, as long as your “Merry Christmas” is not code for –
if you don’t celebrate Christmas I think you should be shot –
we will probably acknowledge your greeting happily and in the
spirit of peace on earth – good will to all that is the hallmark of
the holiday.
 Just don’t be surprised if we shout “Io Saturnalia!” back at
you.

9. Do you give and accept
presents?
Yes!
I can give you my
Amazon wish list if
you like.

10. What is your biggest wish for the
holidays?
That people will stop
fighting about it, and just
enjoy it.
It’s not a competition!

11. Any Final Thoughts?
The motto of the season – whether you celebrate Christmas, Human
Light or Saturnalia – is this:
PEACE ON EARTH GOOD
WILL TOWARDS ALL!!!!
That’s what Humanism is all about.

12. A Humanist’s Guide to the Holidays
Prepared by:
Jennifer Hancock, Humanist
www.jen-hancock.com
Founder of Humanist Learning
Systems
HumanistLearning.com