I heard on a National Geographic Christmas special a few weeks ago that 84 percent of non-Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas. How can an agnostic like me celebrate Christmas? It's easy.

I decided I didn't believe in God when I was about 12, but I've always loved Christmas: the gifts, of course, but also the lights on houses and Santa Claus and Christmas cards and Christmas music and, especially, Christmas trees. Except for some of the Christmas music, none of these things were related to the Christ in whom I didn't believe, so I had no conflict with celebrating Christmas.

Over the years I've come to believe in a mysterious power, a generic God in a way, so I've shifted from atheism to agnosticism (or agnostic theism) and realized I have more in common with religious people than with atheists. And I've learned about winter solstice celebrations.

Winter solstice, as I'm sure you know, is the shortest day/longest night of the year, the time when days start getting longer. In our hemisphere, it occurs between Dec. 20 and 23; this year it begins the evening of Dec. 21 and the first full day of winter is Dec. 22. I've learned that many cultures have celebrated the winter solstice as the rebirth of the sun and the return to light. Wikipedia lists three dozen winter solstice celebrations from earliest known history and all over the world. The entry explains the slight variations of dates as a result of changes in calendars over the years. Did you realize the new year is supposed to start at the winter solstice?

According to the History Channel, "In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. ... Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival." Saturnalia was a Roman solstice celebration; Yule, a Viking Age solstice tradition in Northern Europe, also became combined with Christmas. The History Channel site continues, "By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated."

There you have it: Jesus isn't the reason for the season, and the Catholic Church had to put Christ into Christmas before anyone could take Him out. Someone needs to tell a few Christians about that.

I've concluded that winter solstice is a perfectly good excuse to celebrate whatever you feel like celebrating. I, personally, find it a good time to review the past year, set goals for the coming year and start filling in a fresh, new calendar. I also enjoy most of the American Christmas traditions and make no apology for it. I'm not offended by those who celebrate the birth of Jesus—or anything else—at the same time. I take that back—I can't help being offended by the manufacturers and retailers celebrating winter solstice as a time to profit from consumers spending money they don't have on things they don't need. But, to everyone else, happy winter solstice!