Be honest, Do you really Enjoy Christmas? (page 2)

minu

I've always loved the prettiness of Christmas even as a dub. Now that I get to celebrate it, I love decorating and making my house shine and sparkle.

Thankfully, I never felt guilty or unatural to celebrate, even the first year. I was totally excited about every little detail. Happy to sing every song I never dared sing even though they moved me so much since I was a child. Everything Christmas (and Halloween) I had been secretly fascinated with as a JW.

Three years later, I still enjoy every decoration I put up and setting the Yule tree is a moment I wait for all year. I'll never take the freedom to love what I love for granted. And I try really hard to keep everything traditional. I know I would not enjoy it as much if I celebrated the way many do now, with the Mall madness and gifts up to the ceiling. Instead, it's making cranberry sauce, paper snowflakes and popcorn garland for the tree.

We all agreed not to buy anyone gifts...sure, we can bake cookies and gift wrap them, things like that. But mostly, the Holidays are a time to be merry during the winter. To enjoy each other's company and love....and to eat a bit too much.

Finally-Free

I became indifferent to Christmas long before I joined the JWs. I hated (and still do) being in shopping malls when they're that crowded. I didn't like feeling obligated to buy gifts, especially during periods of unemployment, which happened fairly often when I was in my teenage years. It was hard to know what to buy for family members that I only saw 2 or 3 times a year. From that standpoint, joining the JWs was a relief.

I won't be attending Christmas dinners with my family this year. They put on such huge feasts, and I have to watch my diet because I've developed diabetes. They get insulted when I refuse 2nd and 3rd helpings of food, and avoid all their homemade cookies and desserts. I love food, and it's hard enough to stick to my diet without people nagging me to eat more, and more, and more...

I'll probably buy a little tree, some new toys for my bird, and make a nice low fat, low carb, low purine, lactose free, low sodium, non hydrogenated dinner for myself.

W

momzcrazy

I am thoroughly enjoying my first Holiday Season. The lights, smells, songs and presents. And it has been wonderful to think of other people's like to find a present. I don't have a lot of money to spend but what I am giving means something. I look at it all as a time to enjoy family and remind people how much you care. I was so excited last night after a day of shopping that I gave our friends their gift already.

I've always wanted to have christmas and now I can have it.

momz

R.F.

To be honest, I love things such as the lights, music, the food, etc, but it seems to me that this time of year brings out the absolute worst in many people.

Then again though, i'm just now being able to drop the WT indoctrination, so I always used to "somehow" find reasons to bag on the Christmas season. Maybe that's why it seems that way to me.

R.F.

megsmomma

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! But, when my mom decieded to become a dub, getting out of the holidays was a big plus for her. She never liked being "forced" to be loving and jolly....She always would talk about how her x-mas's were terrible because she never got what she wanted...blah blah blah. We don't have much money this year, and it's not about that...it is about warm cozy feelings and being with family.

okiesooner1966

I celebrate it because I married someone not JDUB and also have five year old that believes in Santa. Personally I could take it or leave it because I have no emotional attachment to it. I wish I could have the same fun as everyone else, but being raised jdub takes all the fun out of it.

Gregor

No. But I don't hate it. That's a good thing because my wife immerses us in it to our eyeballs. We have 5 grown children and 8 G kids. I know better than to try and swim upstream!

lovelylil

Before becoming a jdub, Christmas was my favorite holiday. I never felt any stress because I did not spend beyond my means. To me xmas represents a time of giving and spending with family. I missed it sooo much once I became a jdub and did not celebrate it for 12 years.

I left the org. about 4 years ago and this is my 3rd xmas. The first year we did not do it because my hubby was not ready yet. I was ready to go back to doing xmas from day one. Now we celebrate as a family and I have to say I truly enjoy christmas even more now!

I probably feel this way because I missed it so much. I think Drew also made a good point which is "you reap what you sow". You don't have to over drink and act like a fool. Actually, I have never been drunk in my life during any occasion. I can't understand WHY someone would drink so much they get ill from it and then brag about it. But thats another story. I am strictly a two drink person and that is it. So I never had to deal with having a hangover.

As far as eating too much - so what? Over eating for the hollidays is the best part and its a time to relax and enjoy yourself, not count calories. Lets face it we all love to eat!

I think you need to keep a balance, especially if you have kids. I told the kids that xmas is not about what they will get and that they should appreciate what they have already. I point out that many kids do not have the opportunity of a nice xmas like they get and my hubby and I use this as a time to donate to our local food pantry, toys for tots and our church. We explain to the kids why it is so important to give all year but especially during the holidays.

I have to say our kids are good. They don't give us huge want lists and thank us for what they do get.

Lilly

P.S. I also want to briefly address the jdubs saying that people in the churches only give during the holidays and not the rest of the year. They say this to downplay the donations given during the holidays. Now that we are all out we know what bulls**t this really is. The churches give ALL year round to hundreds of thousands of charities all over the world. It is the Watchtower that gives NOTHING during the holidays or any other time of the year. Unless of course it is to their own advantage (PR piece or something). I wanted to address this because every xmas I would hear some stupid jdub stating this as fact!

VoidEater

I enjoy it because my in-laws make it a special time of thankfulness and being together in a non-demanding, loving way.

Be honest, Do you really Enjoy Christmas?