JW Children, Holidays, and Memories (page 3)

limbogirl

I remember always feeling left out after Christmas Holiday. My classmates would come back to school with new clothes and new toys for show and tell. I would always be envious but of course would immediately defend my beliefs. I remember saying ridiculous things like, 'my parents don't just wait for one day a year to give me presents -- everyday is like christmas.' I think my mom came up with that one. My nearly three year old son is having the childhood I wish I had -- I'm living vicariously through him and it's the best. I feel sad for my parents -- that they gave up all of these special times with their kids.

DaveNwisconsin

I think it is really important that after one leaves the JW's that they enjoy every holiday. It lets you know what you have been missing and really get into the holidays.

TallTexan

Holidays (not vacations, for you Brits...lol) were the absolute worst time to be a JW kid. I HATED the holiday season(s). Everyone else would talk about all the cool things they did and all the stuff they got and it really made you feel bad. My parents were always good about giving me stuff at other times, but it was just that feeling that you were missing out on something great. My girlfriend talks about how special it was to wake up and see that "Santa" had taken a bite out of one cookie and left a few crumbs in the milk. I just shrug my shoulders and am like "whatever - I wouldn't know." I would always make up stuff I had gotten when the time came for everyone to tell what they got for the big "C". A lot of my mom's family were not in the truth and we would usually go visit them during the holiday break and they would usually have something for me. I think they felt sorry for me. I'm almost starting to feel sorry for myself...lol.

I always got lots of Valentines from my classmates and thought it was neat, but felt bad about not giving any. Most of my teachers were pretty nice to me, probably in part because both of my parents worked for the school district and never made me feel bad for being 'left out.' I remember many times sitting in the library reading during all the holiday parties, and not being able to do half of the programs the other kids did, or the artwork. Sitting out while they sang "America the Beautiful" in music class.

My favorite was always Halloween. Not because it's the "holiday of the demons", but because it's fun to dress up. I remember one year my mom let me get a 'Halloween' costume at the store just so I could wear it around the house because I really liked it.

I could care less what the origins of any of them are - they are what they mean now. New Years Eve is about having a good time with your friends. Valentine's Day is an occasion to show that someone special how you feel. Mother's/Father's Day should be about showing appreciation to those that raised you. Halloween is about dressing up and having a good time. Thanksgiving and Christmas are about family. That's all. Not celebrating the pagan Roman god of some bygone era or worshipping the devil.

jojochan

I can remember when all throughout my school years about that one. I really did'nt care about christmas, but holloween always interested me. I was envious of the "normal" children that was able to endulge in trick or treating and eating candy and scaring the crap out of each other. The birthdays were the ones that hurtthe most because I felt it was the one day that should be mine . Years later I indulge in the holidays for social value with my new friends. The giving of gifts, b.d gifts and such. This past new years I celebrated it with someone special and kissed in the new year, and for the first time in my life I felt....human.

jojochan.

somebodylovesme

'my parents don't just wait for one day a year to give me presents -- everyday is like christmas

Another ex-Witness friend of mine used to say that. The problem, I later learned, was that "every day being like Christmas" really meant that no day was like Christmas, and there were rarely, if ever, presents or celebrations or happy times at all.

Heart-breaking.

mrsjones5

The problem, I later learned, was that "every day being like Christmas" really meant that no day was like Christmas, and there were rarely, if ever, presents or celebrations or happy times at all.

Aint that the truth!

Josie

limbogirl

the idea of "every day being like christmas" never added up to me yet I bought into it, believed it and said it to people. and if someone called me on it I justified it by saying that if my parents wanted to buy me something they didn't have to wait until my birthday or christmas...they could buy it whenever they wanted. I thought this sounded really grand but I'm sure people thought I was pathetic.

carla

I'm sure people thought I was pathetic.---------------umm, yup, it sounds pathetic when you say it, same as when husband says it now.

part of the reason it sounds so damn stupid is because non jw's DO suprise kids and others with gifts even for non holiday reasons. Just because. Maybe they saw it out and thought of the person, what ever. Whenever I have heard that from a jw I always thought, 'surely must see how lame that sounds!'.

Funny thing is now that I'm all grown up I don't really remember the gifts themselves(well, maybe a few special ones), rather the feeling of family and general feelings of joy. Not materialism, family. (I've never been jw)

limbogirl

Carla---I have discovered many wonderful things that non-JW families do -- one of the biggest being that most that I know love each other unconditionally. I think back to all of the things that my parents made us believe about non-JWs -- I grew up thinking that non-JWs really hated the holidays but just went along because they were conformists under the influence of satan. I'm so glad to be out and raising my son in a NON-JW family! He will never have to say pathetic things to his schoolmates and teachers -- he doesn't even know how good he's got it. :)

Mrs.Congeniality

My daughter (1st grader) came home a couple of thursdays ago and told me she did not need 25 cents on friday for popcorn (every fri. kids get a bag of popcorn for 25 cents)because a boy in her class was having his birthday and his mother was buying everyone popcorn. There is another JW girl in my daughters class who refused to eat the popcorn and just glared at my daughter for eating POPCORN. We have not gone to a meeting in 7 months so this JW girl is always watching every move my daughter makes. She is always making rude comments and making my daughter feel like she is a bad person. I cant believe that JW are training their kids to be so judgemental. My husband got a state job and they pay for their employees to have a membership at the YMCA so we decided it would be a good thing for our family. We are no longer going to meetings so this would be something good for us to do as a family. My daughter was talking to some other little girls about how she loves to swim at the Y. The JW girl overheard (keep in mind she is only 7) and told my daughter she needed to go home and tell her parents(me!) that she was no longer going to go to the Y and that we needed to get a babysitter for her everytime we go because what we are doing is making Jehovah very unhappy. I am sooo sick of JW being so judgemental.

JW Children, Holidays, and Memories

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