Celebrating Christmas?????

by DATA-DOG 54 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  undercover

  I have two good friends who are atheist... and they love xmas. They don't care about baby Jesus, or angels, or the religious message. They like the traditions of gift giving, decorating, and having parties. They both decorate their houses, put up trees, etc. One guy is a big sci-fi fan, so all his tree ornaments are Star Wars, Star Trek and various other sci-fi related decorations. The other guy uses three or four generations of ornaments handed down, both religous and secular.

  I've asked them about their love of the holiday and they verify that it's just tradition and enjoying it along with everyone else and enjoying the season... and watching their kids enjoy it.

  So, I've kind of adopted their philosphy and I enjoy certain aspects of the season. The music, the parties, the xmas spirit that is there, even if it creates shopping and traffic headaches. I don't care about decorating or entertaining so much, though I don't turn down too many xmas party invites.

  There may be religious reasons behind the actual holiday, but it has evolved into different things for different people.
• 

  ziddina

  Oh, darn...

  All I saw was "celebrating Christmas", so I popped in here...

  As a 'heathen' atheist, I like to celebrate the winter solstice because of its VERY ancient practice - heck, Stonehenge at around 5,000 years old was organized specifically for the winter solstice. The area was sacred long before the last incarnation of Stonehenge was built, probably because there were glacial marks or grooves which lined up with the winter solstice - which indicates a long history of its celebration, going far back in time before the middle-eastern gods were even dreamt of...

  NOT an explanation for the comment in the OP, but I thought I'd toss in my .02 ¢
• 

  Kevun

  By regarding a certain day as "pagan", the J-dubs unknowingly give validation to an imaginary god.

  It certainly stings when you simply answer, "You know those pagan gods were not real, right? They were non-existant."

  I have a list of pagan celebrations, maybe the JWs would like to mark those dates off their calendars also?
• 

  ziddina

  "Stupid holiday." Theocratic Sedition, page 1

  Theo, ya grinch!!

  PM me yer address and I'll send you a lil' Xmas gift...
• 

  RayPublisher

  I just sent that Russell quote re: xmas to my kids email. The older one is a bit torn about the whole thing but my girlfriend really enjoys it, it's her favorite holiday and she is pretty persuasive!

  So we'll see...
• 

  andys

  Yes I celebrate all the holidays, it helps alot with the pain of leaving the borg, am looking foward to Christmas, also when I celebrated thanksgiving it was at one of my co-workers house and also some of my other coworkers was alot of fun sitting around playing boardgames this is what brings families/friends together is the holidays
• 

  Lozhasleft

  I remember the first year we DIDN'T celebrate Xmas, as we entered the JWs. We had two teenage girls and two very young boys, they'd all had the best Xmas times we could possibly give them. It was now so important to stop this celebration. It was pagan, offensive to our God, forbidden. It was so hard. My ex and I anguished so much about it but we felt and believed (at least I did, he was a law unto himself, so who knows really) that it was the best thing for our family that we honoured these guidelines, it was Jah's will, we must.

  That first non Christmas Eve, I cried virtually all night. I couldn't bear the thought that my children had no gifts to wake up to. One of the worst times of my entire life, truly. As it turned out the children were fine and we had a special day of gifts a few weeks later. Christmas Day was fun in the end, going out picnicking in the winter with a gang of JW families. For the coming years though, that Christmas Eve turmoil continued, in fact it never really stopped. I put a brave happy face on it all, but underneath....

  These days, with hindsight of course, I deeply regret that I didn't follow my instincts. I don't forgive the WTBS for what their rules did to my family, and it weighs heavily upon me that I let them do it. I've lost my children, now adults, to the WTBS. As a Dfd witness now remarried, I celebrate it again. Sad memories though, every year.

  Loz x
• 

  Pams girl

  The only day I can ligitimately eat a whole jar of Picalilli, and Im damded if Im giving that up.......

  Ok. I celebrate my family and our time together, and love the lights.....

  Loz, your story sounds familiar, and brought a lump to my throat.. x
• 

  Lozhasleft

  Thank you for that Pam's girl, strangely it was hard to write, despite many other difficult memories it troubles me the most. Maybe I now recognise that this was the step that the WTBS used to separate us from the traditions of family memories that bond us so closely. The beginning of the end of family loyalties. Enjoy your piccalilli anyway lol.

  Loz x
• 

  Skbj

  I don't celebrate xmas for the religious part. Jesus doesn't cross my mind that day no more that he would any other day. I went to xmas midnight mass and even took the comunion, the whole thing was more for the experience (and getting brownie points with mother in law) just like I attended other religious functions for many christians and non. I do like to see what other religions get up to, instead of just knowing of them from what I read in JW mags.

  Going back to xmas, I'm down for any holiday that involves food! As far as going bad after leaving the WT...have to disappoint there, never took drugs or smoked, didn't get tattoos and drink rarely, all that stuff doesn't interest me. So having freedom made no difference. If anything allowed me to do stuff I really liked, like do some voluntary work in befriending elderly people in the community where I lived. Had I stayed in the 'truth' I wouldn't probably invested time in my local community.