Do you feel comfortable with celebrating the holidays?

by Jamelle 22 Replies latest jw friends

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  Jamelle

  Just curious how different individuals have reacted to the though of celebrating holidays after they left the JWs...?

  Any holidays you have more trouble with than others? Does Halloween freak you out? Does Christmas make you sad? Does Easter make you thank your lucky stars that you won't have to sit through another "Memorial Service"?

  I have had no problem embracing the holidays. This despite the fact that I was raised to believe they were all based on pagan celebrations and rituals. Or worse, honoring your country in some small way.

  I frankly don't care about the origin of these holidays - I care about what they represent now, or at least what they are supposed to represent. When I left the JWs I couldn't wait to start celebrating - especially Christmas! I've been like a little kid about Christmas ever since - in a way I am since I've only gotten to celebrate it about 6 times - I going to be a 7 year old this Christmas.

  A friend of mine that left at the same time I did is not as comfortable as I am. She only just started putting up a tree last year.

  What kind of thoughts do others have on this topic?
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  Rayvin

  The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is that I feel i have to hide it. Jws might stop by or family might pop over uninvited and see my evil halloween deco. I could blame it on my df'd hubby.
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  somebodylovesme

  My husband is an inactive/faded Witness, so I'm sort of answering for him. :) He likes birthdays, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Independence Day ... He's okay with Christmas, but it doesn't have any meaning for him, so I think he thinks the hooplah is overdone. As we're not practicing any religion and are decidedly not Christian -- and as we don't really like the commercialization of holidays for profits' sake -- we're not huge on Christmas. But we do have dinner with my family, and that's about it.
  
  Easter? Nope. Valentine's Day? Not really. Other Hallmark-created holidays? I usually don't know when they are. :)
  
  I think holidays are great because they're just another way to spend time with the people you love who might be far away; most people get the day off, so it's easier ot get together.
  
  Just my thoughts.
  
  SLM
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  pratt1

  It has taken me years to get comfortable celebrating the holidays, epecially xmas.

  However every year it gets easier and easier.

  My wife, however has no problem with it (she's an x dub too) and she teases me about it all the time.
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  forsharry

  I felt VERY guilty celebrating holidays because I never had them growing up. For a couple of years I was sorta on the fringe of celebrations, only doing it because my father had remarried and his new wife was into holidays. I remember one year I even got told off by my mother because I didn't send her a card for Mother's Day...I always found that ironic cause she was the reason all of us got into the jw religion to begin with and then she was yelling at me on the phone for forgetting this very important holiday that I had never celebrated before. :)

  However...after 6 years out, having reinvented myself as a person instead of a jw, I don't feel bad anymore. I don't care if these holidays were pagan in origin...how much of christianity is pagan in origin for crying out loud?!

  /begin rant

  God, old guy, white robes, robust looking with long white hair and beard...that's Zeus for pete's sake!

  /end rant

  The holidays for me are times to get off work and get together with family. To remind them that they're loved and cherished because in the normal hub-bub of day to day life sometimes we forget to tell them that. Plus it's times for presents and more presents! J/K.
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  upside/down

  When in Rome...I do as the Romans...

  Strictly a cultural...social "thing"...zero religious conotations...

  No matter how hard the Dubbies try to say otherwise...

  Joyless bastards!

  u/d
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  FlyingHighNow

  I didn't grow up in the org. I love holidays and missed them when I was a proper jw.
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  Lilycurly

  The first year I've been out, I was very happy and enthousiastic about putting up Holiday decorations, I'm a very artistic person and I always felt like I missed a great opportunity....but I kind of felt scared that my dad would come over and see them. This year, however, I almost wish he would!! I even make a great deal of buying everything I need at the store and if I see a JW I know while doing it, well, it's only better!

  I don't mind the origins, I embrace them... pagan traditions are so interesting. Hallowen/Samhain is my favorite as I adore fall.
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  Legolas

  Do you feel comfortable with celebrating the holidays?

  You bet!!!

  I can't wait for xmas!!!!

  
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  lucky

  Like others have said, my biggest stress is the fear that my mom will find out (I'm not df'd or da'd). It hasn't been too much of an issue since we live across the country and don't do much for the holidays, anyways. But, we're hoping to have a kid and I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with the holidays after that. I definitely don't want to deprive the kid of the holidays, but I would hate to have to resort to something like, "make sure you don't tell grandma about this". On the other hand, I don't want to tell my mom we're celebrating and then have her never speak to me or any of her potential future grandchildren again. Any advice from those out there in a similar situation?