Did you return to celebrating holidays?

by song19 38 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  sacolton

  Absolutely!
• 

  dinah

  Since my Dad was an UBM, I always got Christmas and Birthday presents. It's hard to imagine life without the holidays. The best part is now I always get Dad something, he loves it. The best part for him is watching his grandchildren that day.

  Also, there is no guilt associated with all the family dinners we have. When I was a kid I always felt like I was making Jehovah mad for being at Christmas Eve dinner. Now, it's great to catch up with all my cousins (and I have a bunch!!).

  My Granddad's birthday is treated as a holiday too. The whole family gets together. With his kids, their kids and his great-grandkids there are over 40 of us.

  I wish the Witnesses knew what they were missing, not as far as gifts, but the time spent with your family.
• 

  AK - Jeff

  We did.

  Our return was prompted by both our (1) exit from a religion that had bound us to false reasoning for all our lives to that point, and that we (2) 'inherited' our grandkids to raise at about the same time.

  We had no desire to hold onto parts of the religious traditions of Jehovah's Witnesses after we discovered that they had lied to us about most everything we believed. And our grandkids didn't need to deal with us trying to parse each holiday into pagan/nationalistic/demon inspired labels. So we jumped in with both feet.

  As far as family goes, I have found mine to be far more understanding and forgiving of my failure to be part of the important events in their lives than I expected. Unlike Jw thinking, my 'worldly' relatives have quickly embraced us without judgment since we left. It was us who had rejected them. They just waited patiently for us to come to our senses.

  After only four years out, I now enjoy the holidays without any consideration of the origins of them. They are primarily times to get family together for meals, gifts, and sharing of love. The trappings come from old customs - some of it was 'pagan' - but at least for most the people I know, it has nothing to do with religion at all [with some exceptions of course]. It is tradition, not religion, and certainly not about worship of pagan gods to them.

  Jeff
• 

  Junction-Guy

  I celebrated them every chance I got when I was a child and could sneak away from my Dad. One time back in 1984, we begged our Dad to go let us spend the weekend with my "worldly" aunt and uncle.
  
  During that weekend we went and picked out a christmas tree with them, we decorated it, we even sang Christmas carols, then when the weekend was over we went home and returned to the drdgery of the JW life.
• 

  momzcrazy

  We never had done holidays as a family, and I had never done them my whole life. We had our first Xmas last year. It was wonderful!

  I think the holidays are what you make them. We enjoy being with family, I like decorating I have a 9 ft tree all ready for next year!

  momz
• 

  Quandry

  Since my Dad was an UBM, I always got Christmas and Birthday presents.

  What is a UBM?
• 

  Junction-Guy

  UBM= Unbelieving mate
• 

  Rapunzel

  As Junction Guy pointed out, "U.B.M." stands for unbelieving mate. The term refers to the situation in which there is a divided household. It describes a situation in which a man or woman becomes a Witness while his/her spouse does not. It refers to a situation in which one spouse converts to the Witness faith while the other does not. As can be easily imagined, this often drives a wedge between the couple, with the result that there is a divorce.

  As you probably know, Witnessess - both male and female - are severely punished if they marry someone who is not a Witness. This situation is described as being unevenly yoked, as if they were two oxen.
• 

  PureAlb

  well there wont be any difference for you even if u return to celebrate holidays,even if u arent a JWs i think holidays are somehow a catch, its all about Business,,but if you think that makes u happy go ahead, i know someone who had an car insurance for like 10 years and he never had an accident, he did the calculation and he said wow so much money for nothing, he was driving without insurance and the second day after he did not have an insurance it happen that he had an accident, and u know what it wasnt his foult,,so he had to pay for other car and for his car. so if u get my point there u are. enjoy
• 

  Junction-Guy

  What's your point ?