JW Children and the absence of Christmas

by Clam 43 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Clam

  I’ve just collected my 6 year old son from school. He sat in the back of the car and told me about a little girl from the year above him who has to leave her classroom and sit in his due to Christmassy things going on.

  My youngster remarked "She doesn’t believe in Christmas. Can you believe that? He was gobsmacked.

  I was "lucky" enough to only be in the Dubs from the age of 13. How many of you remember being in the situation of the little JW girl at my son’s school? Did you feel envious, or even at that tender age self satisfied that you were doing the right thing?

  I’ve got 5 Dub children in my family who’ve all grown up with this, but now I’ve got my own children and can talk to you guys, I’m very curious how you felt. . . .
• 

  Rebirth

  The memories for me are so painful that it is hard for me to even recall them w/o crying and I'm in my 30's! This is one of the main reasons I took a stand and left the borg; I refused to abuse my children by forcing them to become the outcasts. If they want to take a stand and be different when they are older (like in college) that is their choice. But I will not be part of any organization that hurts children. Period.

  When I was in third grade the JWs added insult to injury. They "pursuaded" my parents to make me and two other JW kids in my grade to get up in front of the entire grade and give a "witness" as to why we didn't believe in Christmas as part of the Christmas around the World activities our grade did in December. So not only couldn't I participate in any of the other religious activities, I had to shove mine done everyone elses' throats.

  Rebirth
• 

  OUTLAW

  I always wanted to celebrate Christmas as a kid..My mom told me: "Look at those poor children,they only get presents once a year.Jehovah`s Witness`s can give presents all year round."..She still talks like an idiot..LOL!!...OUTLAW
• 

  Leolaia

  Yup, that sounds like how elementary school was for me....I had to leave the classroom if there was a Christmas party or if there was a Christmas assembly I had to go to the office and wait it out there. If there was a birthday party in the classroom, I had to separate myself from everyone else, sit in a corner and find something else to do. And of course, every single morning I had to experience the difficulty of refusing to pledge allegience to the flag and sing whatever song followed.

  One bright spot in 4th grade was that I wasn't the only JW in the classroom, and the other girl was in fact my best friend that year. So when the Christmas assembly happened, at least we had each other's company in the office. Unfortunately, we ceased to be friends at a luau the class had a few months before the end of the school year.
• 

  dobbie

  Thankfully i wasn't brought up in the borg but i knew i didn't want my child to go through any of this (he started school in september), so i left the jws recently. I was helping out at his school today though, listening to my little lads class rehearsing their songs for their nativity next week, and came across the four jw kids sat by themselves in a classroom and i felt for them, they're only 4 -6yrs. My husband was 11ish when he came in and hated having to go throu;gh it all at school, whereas others say it truly didn't bother them, but maybe they just won't admit it? I'm glad i didn't have to go through it though cos i got picked on enough for being small and quiet as it was!
• 

  Mulan

  My parents became JW's when I was 4 but I do remember Christmas, especially at my grandparent's house, and their huge tree. I remember ours too and Mom's Christmas village under the tree, and the bubble lights.

  When we stopped celebrating I honestly thought it was because we "didn't believe in it anymore". I didn't see that it was wrong, only that we didn't believe.

  I remember very clearly, when I was about 9, getting up on Christmas Eve, after everyone else had gone to bed and looking out the window over the city (we lived in a house on a hill overlooking the city of Seattle) to see if I could see Santa and his sleigh. I didn't stop believing in Santa. I just thought he didn't come to our house anymore

  When I was in school, I honestly don't remember having a problem with holidays. I always did the holiday art work, but remember I was in grade school in the 50's. I helped decorate for holidays, right through high school too. In sixth grade, I went to a small school that only had classrooms. No library or gym. My parent's both worked so I couldn't go home when there were holiday activities. When they had the Christmas party, I was there. They did a gift exchange and my teacher bought an extra gift so no one was left out, including me. I couldn't buy a gift, but I could get one.

  My teachers and all my friends knew we didn't celebrate Christmas but it was okay. Nobody seemed to care or ridicule. Different times I guess.

  In high school, we all had to write a report one year, about how we celebrated Christmas. I wrote about the origins of Christmas and that our family didn't celebrate. I got an "A".
• 

  AK - Jeff

  I had a mix of emotion in that regard, Clam.

  On one hand, I was proud that I was doing what Jehovah wanted me to do, though I didn't understand it completely at such tender years. On the other hand, I was torn with a desire to just be normal, to participate, to enroll in the human side of human life. I firmly believe that some of that lead to my staying a dub for so long - I had invested so damn much, attempted to prove my point so often, that I convinced myself on some level that to give all that up would be more painful than the benefits.

  Invested emotion makes cults thrive and survive.

  Jeff
• 

  nelly136

  when i was in the 3rd year of juniors my class was doing the 12 days of christmas play, as i couldnt join in with the making of the crimbo decs or be in the concert, or any of the fun stuff

  i figured it wouldnt hurt to make one of the papier mache swans for the play, (in my childlike mind i reasoned that a swan wasnt a crimbo decoration.

  a nice man came in with a camera and we were all lined up holding our little creations, the picture got a prime spot in the kentish express and i got yet another close encounter of the wooden spoon kind.
• 

  Mulan

  I always wanted to celebrate Christmas as a kid..My mom told me: "Look at those poor children,they only get presents once a year.Jehovah`s Witness`s can give presents all year round."..She still talks like an idiot..LOL!!...OUTLAW

  I heard that my whole life too, but in my house it was actually true. My mother always took me shopping the day after Christmas to buy me new clothes and a toy or two, so that when I went back to school, I had new things too. She made a real effort to help me not to feel too different.

  I also got lots of presents all year long. Whenever I was invited to a birthday party that I couldn't go to, there was always a gift on my bed when I got home from school, so I didn't feel so left out.

  In 7th, 8th and 9th grade, I played in the school orchestra and always played in the holiday concerts at school. The evening performances for parents weren't always possible for me. Usually they were on a meeting night, but my teacher was nice about it and gave me an "A" for the performance anyway. Interestingly, my father always argued with my mother about that and thought I should be allowed to play, and skip the meeting.
• 

  OUTLAW

  Mulan..Thats so nice.Your mom is a sweetheart..My mom lives under a bridge and eats small children..LOL!!...OUTLAW