As what is essentially a de-facto atheist who shuns all concepts of "holy" teachings...you can be "good" and not have to throw in "holy" to describe pleasing and constructive things...I find the word "Holiday" too close to "Holy Day" and thus do not celebrate them. All these "X-Mas" coats of paint and the attempt to re-claim Holidays for the pagans is like two people fighting over the love of a dead cat. Kind of pointless and empty. So, I call them "Hallow Days." I grew up in a religious/patriotic family and never felt right celebrating them, but I was forced to. I was not okay with that, at all...still am not.
I do, however, celebrate birthdays as I would rather celebrate the birth of a loved one than some historical or religious figure that really I have no emotional/personal connection to. I am not a big fan of July 4th or patriotic "hollow days" because, in part, I am a war-time vet. I find the "celebrating" of war and dying for one's country to be downright morbid. I was one of those who almost made that sacrafice and I tell you what: no amount of hot-dogs and fireworks can ever make that bloodbath "feel right" to me.
St. Patty's Day is celebrating the removal of Pagans from Ireland. There were no snakes in Ireland that I know of, but I am under the impression that the serpent was a pagan symbol. Why would I drink to the death of a bunch of Druids (people) again?
Columbus Day? Please...that guy thought he was in India...and we gave him a Hollow Day?
I do also celebrate equinoxes and soltices because they are the birth of new seasons, and Halloween as it is the one day out of the year where I actually decide to dress as a normal person.
![Wink ;)](https://www.susans.org/Smileys/susans/wink.gif)
I also will sometimes just throw in a random feast for good measure. I may even get a turkery for the family in October, so we don't have to fight the Hollow Day Commercialzed crowd. Make my own Celebratory Days if I'm not happy with what we got, right? No need to get in a fight over them with others.
HOWEVER, I am NOT going to advocate that these "Holy Days" be voted off the calender or tell people not to celebrate them, or that they remove the nativity scene from their front lawns/private property. As long as you don't force me to do these things, we are going to be JUST fine.