So, the way in which an atheist might best approach the question of religious holidays and the creation of new atheist holidays is to ask: What might this mean to me? Are you going to let Christians "win" by allowing them to decide what holidays like Christmas mean to everyone else, or are you willing to stand up and decide what it means for yourself?
If you decide it means nothing, fine - say so and don't bother with it. Live your day on Christmas (or whatever the holiday) as you would any other day as best you can. You aren't beholden to social expectations in such a context.
However, if you think that you can find your own meanings in the celebration and activities of holidays like Christmas or Thanksgiving, you should not be afraid to stand up and try to do so. You should be not dissuaded by religionists for a minute - they may not be able to conceive of Christmas without Christ, but their limited imagination should only limit them, not you.
You also shouldn't be dissuaded by atheists who are making the same arguments and telling you that some holiday is inherently religious. Just because they can't get past the psychological barriers they have built between themselves and common religious celebrations doesn't mean you have to be locked in with them.
Instead, you should be open about what you are doing and why you are doing it. It's not a good idea for anyone to be left with the impression that you are celebrating for any religious reasons, but you also shouldn't refrain from celebrating just because someone might assume that you do have religious reasons.
One of the primary ways evolution works is through older systems adopting newer functions. Thus, bones which were once part of the jaw now serve to allow us to hear. Evolution like this can take place on a societal level, too, by helping along the transformation of Christmas away from simply a celebration by Christians of the birth of their god and towards a holiday for all people to celebrate a wide variety of things like family, community and love.
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