Romans 14
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister [a] ? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’” [b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
I like the thought in verses 1 and 2 that describe the person "weak in faith" as being the one who feels it necessary to abstain from eating certain foods or observing certain days, because most JWs feel that they are quite the opposite of being "weak in faith", yet Paul, by identifying this sort of nit-picking as a form of spiritual weakness, shows up the JWs for their lack of true spirituality, which should arise from within themselves and should not be constrained by the opinions of other people. In other passages, Paul carries on that theme by saying that spiritually mature people do not need to rely on teachers (or external assistance to understand scripture), but can hold their own in a discussion, and can form their own opinions based on how the holy spirit leads them.
Verses 5 and 6 are my absolute favourites when discussing whether it is appropriate to celebrate holidays or birthdays. Paul makes it abundantly clear that each person should be "fully convinced in their own mind" and not be swayed by the opinions of other people. He did not condemn people who celebrated and he did not condemn those who abstained. It was to be a completely personal decision that was none of anyone else's business. The fact is that the WTS has strayed from this fundamental teaching and embraced a culture of spiritual weakness for its followers - it does this, no doubt, to maintain control over followers instead of directing them in a way that helps individuals reach a level of spiritual maturity that is free from outside influence - which would be bad news for their cash flow.
My suggestion to you would be to have seasonal decorations in your home, stuff that your child will enjoy, without any religious overtones. Our first Christmas we made cut-out snowflakes to put up on the windows, and I did baking that filled the house with warm and cozy aromas (cinnamon, hot chocolate with marshmallows, gingerbread cookies). I made a decoration for the front door that featured evergreen branches and pine cones and a few handmade mittens, and bought a small rosemary plant (looks like a tiny evergreen tree) for my kitchen. I started a collection of snowman figurines to put out on the tables and shelves. There's nothing wrong with celebrating the seasons and it will drive the JWs to distraction because they will look for evidence of False Religion™ in what you are doing, but if you keep it simple like that and focus on the seasons (that goes for all holidays - at Easter do a "springtime" theme, for Thanksgiving/Hallowe'en do an "autumn" theme) it will just frustrate them that they can't form a Judicial Committee™ or go after you in any other manner. I thoroughly enjoyed screwing with them like that.
