How do active JW's spend their Christmas? What do they feel?

by dgp 27 Replies latest jw friends

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  undercover

  As a kid it was depressing. I remember staring out the window and seeing all the other neighborhood kids with their new bikes, go-carts or other outdoor toys.

  It wouldn't have been so bad if our parents had planned some kind of diversion. At least the day to go to the movies or take a drive in the mountains or use that week to go on vacation. But no....we moped around the house, no TV, no radio. We were prisoners in our own home. To this day, it bugs me that our parents didn't really stop to think about how we as children were affected by this time of year. We were just expected to suck it up and be good little obedient JWs. It's one thing to explain why you don't celebrate and that's fine. I can understand the theology behind it, but at the same time more care could have been taken to make sure that we weren't too adversely affected by being too different.

  I guess I got through it okay though. When I got older and had a driver's license. I went to the movies on xmas day. That was my self made tradition. At first I'd go by myself but then a couple of friends would come. Even after I got married, I kept the tradition. I did that for years until everyone else seemed to think it was a good idea. I quit going to the movies on xmas day a few years back when the studios started releasing major movies on xmas day and people would line up around the block. Screw that...I went because it was quiet and not crowded...now they've gone and screwed up my holiday tradition.
• 

  miseryloveselders

  Undercover, I used to always , and sometimes still go to movies by myself on Christmas and Thanksgiving. I liked the limited amount of people there. The fact that it was always either raining or sleeting seemed to coincide with my mood on those days. Feeling kind of lonely, yet determined not to feel sorry for myself either. At the same time though, growing up in the age of Nintendo/Playstation, to be by one's self is tolerable if you have Madden, Doom, etc.. During those preteen and teenager years, I could play Madden all day long, and care less what's happening outside my door.

  This Christmas day I'm looking forward to. Sleep in late. Doubleheader NBA. Celtics vs. Orlando, and Lakers vs. Cavs. Lebron vs Kobe, Garnet vs. Howard, Pierce vs. Carter. Chinese resteraunts are always open on Christmas, so dinner is covered.
• 

  undercover

  ...growing up in the age of Nintendo/Playstation, to be by one's self is tolerable if you have Madden, Doom, etc.. During those preteen and teenager years, I could play Madden all day long, and care less what's happening outside my door.

  I grew up before the days of all that electronic glory...before VCRs even. But you're right, there are ways to entertain yourself, that's why I started going to the movies. The whole JW lifestyle does teach you to be self reliant in a lot of ways...and as weird as it is, I am thankful (now) that I gained that skill from my being an outcast growing up.

  My JW family is planning a family party where they're going to play Rockband and Guitar Hero on xmas day. Sounds like fun (though it does raise the question about the questionable content of the games - all the music I was counseled to not listen to while growing up is now a video game that 10 year olds will be playing)
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  designs

  In my teens we all, 100s of us, went skiing together in Big Bear Mountain. Happy shooshing!
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  WTWizard

  When I was a witless, it was a waste. The first year in, I wasted the day at a small gathering hosted by the humanoid that dragged me in (and his brother, and their family). It was wasted watching a stupid video and b****ing about how people were out there worshiping the sun. Another year, I wasted it by spending the night before at their place--save for a little snow, we would have had to go out in field circus that day (the father had to work because of the snow). We did manage to visit an empty A$$embly Hell, and a Kingdumb Hell.

  Most years, it was wasted trying to dodge Christmas songs. After about the 22nd or 23rd, the radio would start playing solid Christmas songs and I would simply start playing tapes instead. There were TV shows on December 25 that lacked Christmas song advertisements because the season for that was from mid October up to about December 23 or 24. But, without anything to celebrate with, it was very dull.
• 

  tenyearsafter

  sacolton,

  It's not a Christmas bonus...it is an "end of the year, coincidentally around the same time of the year as a pagan holiday, you did a good job" bonus!

  TYA
• 

  willyloman

  We had a bunch of kids at home so we always planned a trip. We stayed in a nice hotel and took them to amusement parks. We figured since the rest of the world was on holiday we might as well relax, too. There were several other families in the congo who always left town during the holidays, to "visit relatives" or "go on vacation." Since I was off work and the kids didn't have school, it was the perfect time to get away.

  One year, early on, we did stay home and go out in FS on Xmas. After disturbing a few families during their Christmas Day rituals, we just felt we were imposing on folks so we went home. Except for football on TV, it was extremely boring and we vowed never to stay home for the holidays again.

  I remember that we used to hate to see Halloween roll around because it meant the beginning of 55 days of walking on eggshells, having to explain why we didn't celebrate certain days, and trying to keep a very low profile at work. I loved Dec. 26, it was my favorite day of the year. I'd sigh a big sigh of relief, and start planning the big Super Bowl party we always had at our house in January.

  Looking back, I suppose my "bible-based conscience" was more elastic than most. I'm proud that we recognized the toll dubdom was taking on our children and at least did some things to try and mitigate it. But I am even happier to finally be living in the now with the freedom to be authentic about who I really am inside.
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  lola28

  Misery, I too am looking forward to a day of NBA games, especially the Cavs vs. Lakers!
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  Open mind

  Aude Sapere & designs mentioned skiing.

  In Northern California it used to be a regular JW Circuit Assembly at a ski resort called Sierra Ski Ranch. (It's now called Sierra at Tahoe.) Back then, they offered a "JW discount" and the place was packed with dubs. You couldn't get the discount without showing your Suicide No Blood Card though.

  I haven't skied in years. Anybody know if Sierra at Tahoe still does the JW discount?

  om
• 

  MsDucky

  Most of the time, I didn't even know that it was Christmas. Once, I went to the mall and wondered why the stores were closed. Other times, my mother (She wasn't a witness.), would call and invite me to a family gathering and then I knew it was Christmas. Sometimes, I would go to the family gatherings; but most of the time, I didn't.

  I, always, bought gifts for the children after Christmas; so if the kids at school asked them what they got for Christmas, they could say "We don't celebrate Christmas...but we got the latest greatest 'Xmas' electronic game (or what have you) for school break".