AMERICAN ATHEISTS


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
ELLEN JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AMERICAN ATHEISTS           Dec. 16, 1996
VOICE 201-334-4033, E-MAIL EJONBAND@AOL.COM          For Immediate Release
OR CALL AMERICAN ATHEISTS 512-458-1244


                           PRESS RELEASE

                  CELEBRATING THE WINTER SOLSTICE
     Many Atheists Acknowledge December 21 as a "Natural" Holiday


    December isn't just a time of celebration for Jews, Christians, pagans
and other religious groups.  This Saturday, Dec. 21, 1996 (9:06a.m. EST),
marks the Winter Solstice, that time when the sun reaches its lowest point
in its apparent annual journey through our sky.  For centuries, civilizations
across the world considered this an important event; it was both the darkest
time of the winter, and a temporal marker to commemorate the "rebirth" of
life in the later spring and summer, the return of the "unconquered sun."
    The growing secularization of American life has seen renewed interest in
this event.  Not everyone enthusiastically celebrates Christian, Jewish, or
other religious holidays.  For Atheist and kindred, the Winter Solstice is a
natural event connecting us with our ancestral origins - and an excuse for
merriment, gift-giving, and putting on weight!
    Over 10% of the population of this nation - over 26,000,000 Americans -
identify themselves as Atheists, freethinkers, religious skeptics or persons
who profess no religious belief.  Millions more are "practicing Atheists" who
do not attend church and have no need for religious ideology.  For this segment
of society, the Winter Solstice is increasingly becoming an alternative to the
dreary, salvationist epics of religion.

                     SOLSTICE CARDS AND GIFTS

    American Atheist Press offers a catalog including Winter Solstice gifts
and seasonal greeting cards.  AA Office Director Orin "Spike" Tyson reports
that orders have steadily climbed for these products, with 1996 being a
record year.  "We've sold out of the more popular Solstice cards, and can
barely keep up with the demand."  Some of the cards are straightforward -
"Greetings of the Winter Solstice Season" - while others are humorous or
downright irreverent.

** To Learn More About How Atheists Celebrate Winter Solstice please contact:
Ms. Ellen Johnson, President      ej@atheists.org
Mr. Frank Zindler, Editor
   & Science Advisor              fzindler@atheists.org


        HAVE A HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE AND A HEALTHY NEW YEAR!


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