Although I've doubts that Jesus was God (I've doubts about every single thing I've been told in the context of religion), I still respect him for being one of the greatest prophets. And of course the Passover is the story of good prevailing evil, so myth or fact; it is a celebration for a good cause.
If you have doubts that Jesus is God, then you cannot truely celebrate the "True Meaning" of Christmas because as you yourself said you recognize Jesus as being only a prophet, and that it is just a prophets birthday. Can you pertake in the celebration with those who are true believers in the spiritual meaning of Christmas? Of course you can, but you won't be doing so for the same reasons that they are. Religious meanings of Christmas and their sprititual beliefs of Christmas.
To a Christian believer ( I don't like using denomonational names such as Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, etc.) the true meaning is that The Messiah was born, Christ the Saviour was born.
And this is where I think the misunderstanding comes into play.
SB, or myself for that matter, is not telling ANYONE that they cannot partake in a Christmas dinner, a traditional exchanging of the gifts ( which by the way also has some religious significance that I won't get into) decorating, etc., but only that those who are non believers really cannot
celebrate in spirit the true meaning of what a believer knows Christmas really represents in their own faith.
I go to a Hebrew Brisk. In order to enter the Synagogue I am asked to put a Yamakule on my head. Am I a believer in what this ceremony represents religiously? No I am not. Am I wearing the Yamakule because I believe in it's religious significance? No I am not.
I am wearing the Yamakule and partaking in the ceremony out of respect for my Jewish friend and his religion. I partake because my friend thinks enough of me and has honored me by asking for my presence at what HE believes to be a very religious act according to HIS faith. Am I partaking in the celebration, yes I am, but not for what it's religious significance really stands for, but more so out of joy and out of respect of the celebration. So therefore I am not spiritually celebrating the religious meaning of the Brisk, but I am physically celebrating the fact that it is of religious significance to my friend and his beliefs.
What I really think that this all comes down to is how the word "celebrate" is being used here. Non believers celebrate the traditional acts that go along with Christmas. Believers celebrate the spiritual meaning which we believe has provided us with those traditional acts. And the difference is that we believe in the religious meanings behind those acts that we partake in on Christmas.
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