2 reasons: 1. peer pressure. 2. to make up for missed birthdays.

Before it was called Christmas it started as a pagan holiday involving gift giving. . Why do Christians claim to be monotheistic when they actively participate in a pagan holiday? . http://www.essortment.com/all/christmaspagan_rece.htm

LOL...I like that, well I guess we would save money. But what is Christmas to you, to me it's a tradition. When I was a kid it was about Santa, getting gifts, family and so on. When I got older I learned it was about Jesus' birthday. So for me it is about everything it holds. I love to see family, give and receive gifts, the kids have a great time (I have none). I love Christmas but it doesn't mean I have to believe in Jesus. To tell yo the truth if you research it, it is adopted from a pagan holiday or winterfest, sorry to tell you that.

I’m atheist because I don’t believe gods exist, that’s all it is, nothing more and nothing less....I still love my family and enjoy my life....Why would I want to miss out on that? After all, its not like Christmas is a religious festival.

Because I love getting presents, and even more I love giving them. And because I feel it is appropriate to celebrate the end of the year with my family, and share gifts to remind ourselves how lucky we are to have each other.

Why? Because I enjoy giving and receiving and spending time with friends and family. The winter solstice was commonly a time for celebration, long before Christianity came into being and didn't necessarily involve worshiping a favored deity.

I exchange gifts because its a tradition and a good excuse to catch up with family and friends that I can't always make time for. - I wonder why Christians exchange gifts? Its got nothing to do with Jesus.

Why do Christians give presents on Christmas? Christmas wasn't even a Christian holiday to begin with, and even so... gifts have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus....

It's ironic that so many atheists gleefully participate in worshiping pagan gods when under societal pressure. Makes one wonder if they truly are atheists or if there's another motivation.

I do so only because the rest of the family expects it. It's regarded not as a religious event but as a "family" event.

What does Christmas have to do with atheism? Christmas is the birth of Santa! And the yearly gift to the economy.

I think most people are missing the point of this question. That is that whether it is because of Christian faith (which by the way it would make sense to give gifts on all kings day)or even if you are an athiest, Christmas is celebrated because of Commercialism. It isn't about Jesus, or Saint Nicholas, or Hannaka, or Peace on Earth and good will to all men. All of that is gone. It alls comes down to this. 1. It is a free paid work day for most. 2. Its about companies pushing unnecessary things on children so they want it and the parents feel obligated to get it. 3. Its about making people feel guilty once a year and so they have to make purchases they normally would not so others will be happy for about 5 minutes, unless they go to a party and get drunk. The reason I posed this question to atheist is because I thought they would be more likely to see it is about commercialism and guilt. People say its about being with the family but if it were a greater effort would be to have the spirit of christmas (being with family and sharing time) more than one day a year. I can see where Christians (being one myself) can buy into the whole celebrate the birth of Christ like you would a birthday and be blinded to the fact that Christmas was hijacked. I just figured athiest who would not buy into the whole Christ thing or even Saint Nick, would see it all for what it is today. It is not the same Christmas of 40 years ago. Its a whole different animal. Only a few who posted so far saw what it is and didn't bury their heads in the sand. I do not say this to offend anyone or get people angry. Nor Christians or Athiest or any other faith. I'm just simply stating my opinion about Christmas. I can't help but feel that people are mostly hypocrites this time of year. If I like you, I don't make and extra effort only one day a year. If I don't like you, I will avoid you like I do any other time of the year.

I enjoy giving gifts ths time of year because I like to see people smile. I guess Christmas is just a convenient excuse for me to give my family and friends gifts and bake inordinate amounts of cookies for people. True, I could save money if I didn't, but what fun would that be?

I spend Christmas with my family and enjoy the gift-giving commercial aspects of it. We all have the day off, thanks to the government (which is supposed to be separate from religion) so it is a convenient time to celebrate. There are sales and bargains geared toward the season so it's a great time to shop for people.

Ummm...I don't think that exchanging gifts has anything to do with the implied religious aspect of the holiday; in fact I'm pretty sure that's the most atheist aspect of the holiday and once you get through all the pagan symbolism there really isn't much left that is even Christian about the holiday at all. I love the holidays not because some organization tells me to but because I love taking a couple of days out of the year to spend time with and spoil my loved ones. I suppose the short answer is that I exchange gifts because I enjoy getting them and even more so I enjoy giving them.