by Terry 33 Replies latest jw friends
My daughter and just got back from picking up a final gift purchase at a retail store. The clerk wished a customer Merry Christmas and the person (who must have been a JW) gave a fake sneer-smile and simply said "Thanks."
I remember that feeling of having somebody with all the best intentions in the world wish me well with a hearty MERRY CHRISTMAS and I'd feel trapped
like rat and uncomfortable! What a stupid way to have to react! Just accept the honesty of words and don't nitpick it to death!!
My last xmas as a child was when i was 10.
Till this day it is an awkward time, with little joy or meaning at all, I participate on a shallow level that is all. Thankfully my wifes family is very non religious and low key. A picnic day in the park, secret santa and some extra for the kids.
We went xmas shopping yesterday...lasy minute? not really a chore as we have so little to buy anyway. But wife wanted to buy me a xmas present...what did i like? I want for nothing, i dont need things and i felt a little dispondant that i am not capable of even recieving!
xmas, barhumbug.
Oz
shit! i sound like a grinch! sorry folk
Thanks Terry
The light gets brighter & brighter every day that I`m out
smiddy
It is Christmas morning here . . . we're going to open our pressies shortly . . . and get ready for the awesome day we're going to have.
It's the first Christmas I have celebrated in 29 years . . . the first ever for my children.
Merry Christmas everyone . . . and to all still held captive . . . I hope you get here soon.
Nice post Terry.
Thanks Terry!
Thank you for that Terry it means a lot. Merry Christmas.
It's the first Christmas I have celebrated in 29 years . . . the first ever for my children.
Size.....that is so awesome! Have a very special Christmas with your children.
Think About It
Christmas for many is just another secular traditional holiday, that has of course intervening religious undertones attached.
The NO YOU MUST NOT celebrated this event is just another of the WTS. forced flubs they came up with the many other flubs this
organization came out with.
Its more about celebrating and cherishing children, spending time with family and Friends , relaxing and being social with whom you want
to be social with.
NON-JWS are just as annoyed about the commercial hype of todays Christmas and the level of stress that this Holiday can bring.
Therefore I celebrate this day lightly and have ever since leaving the JW organization.
Thanks Terry, this was a great post!
Sizemik, this is my first Christmas EVER, so I know how you feel with that. I've been crazy about Christmas since Halloween ended LMAO. I put up the tree right after Thanksgiving dinner, and it's staying up until January 1st. A part of me is sad that I can't share this with my children, although I did send them a letter letting them know I love them and am thinking of them. It's not the same, though.
To those still in for various reasons, it IS difficult to leave with family still in...I know, I've been there. But, for me, I had to weigh the options of staying in and living a lie, posting here on the sly, and being increasingly stressed with the knowledge I now have and the conflicting lifestyle I had to lead. When I finally got so angry at what was being said that I broke down and had an anxiety attack at a meeting, that was my wake-up-and-get-the-hell-out call. Before that, I was out mentally, but physically still going and doing the dance that everyone else wanted me to do. When I realized my health (mental and physical) was being compromised, I headed for the door. I went to one last convention (the Generation Change one) in order to hear the BS with my own ears, and then I quickly made my exit. It wasn't easy, and I've had to sacrifice a relationship with my parents in order to get out, but the ones I've formed since leaving are worth SO MUCH to me, my FREEDOM is worth so much to me... I can only hope maybe one day my parents will join me, but if they don't, I will know my life wasn't wasted living a lie for someone else's benefit.
I posted this article on Ex-JW.com yesterday that covers this same subject. http://ex-jw.com/happy-holidays
I was seven years old when I celebrated my last Xmas in my parents' home. I started acknowledging Christmas again when I was about twenty-five. It is now a regular part of my life.
In my own family, and among my friends, those who celebrate Christmas and the other holidays seem to have fewer family issues, are clearly happier as individuals, and have a larger base of close acquaintances. People I know (including some of my own family members) who are still Jehovah's Witnesses (or haven't completely made the break), seem more troubled, have fewer friends, and are not as close to secondary family members (cousins, nephews and nieces). Because they have no special events like holidays to bring them together, they tend to gravitate and get together with only their very closest friends at the Kingdom Hall.
Bottom line: Jehovah's Witnesses, especially born-ins and long-timers, simply do not know what they are missing. It's not about religion. It's not about worshipping ancient pagan gods or myths. The modern world does not care about Nimrod, Odin, Constantine. They don't really care about Herod, the Three Wise Men, or the Star of Bethlehem. None of that matters. What matters is good times, getting together with family and close friends, making connections with old friends and distant relatives with seasonal cards and phone calls. Everyone just seems to be closer to their families and happier overall - in spite of the crowds, the expense, and the miserable weather.
One point that I make in the article is that our Jehovah's Witness friends are not allowed to have a single day that allows them to just celebrate with their friends and family. They don't go out after Memorial and "celebrate." They just go home and turn on the TV like every other night. I am not aware of anyone that ever invited their Witness friends over to their home for a special Memorial Evening dinner.
I really believe this lack of celebration or the marking of any special occasion (other than maybe weddings), really adds to the depression and mental stress experienced by so many Witnesses.
In any case, I too would like to wish all of my good friends and correspondents here at Jehovahs-Witness.net a very happy holiday season. I want to send a special wish for a happy new year to Simon, the webmaster and chief moderator for keeping this great forum running and keeping all of us connected.
JV
