Ive got the Christmas spirit--its killing me

by DS211 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  DS211

  Tonight we watched home alone 2, last nghr we watched home alone...i hear the Christmas music and i have started to....feel again. its hard to describe this feeling...its overjoyed, peaceful, hopeful, at the beauty ive missed around this time. And at the same time it kills me because my children dont know it...its just another day, no special time, no holidays...my daughter asked me the other night if she could have a birthday. I had to hold back the sadness i felt at the heart wrenching truth in her words. In the Wt there arent these special days. For born ins its no big deal right? But to have lived life knowing and feeling these things...i cant believe i ever turned away from freedom.

  DS211
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  dissonance_resolved

  Hi DS211- I'm a born-in and it's really painful for me right now too. I've realized that all those times as a kid that I said not having Xmas or birthdays was fine was a complete lie. Of course kids want to have those special times. So it's all the more difficult this year to deprive my children while trying to get my hubby to wake up. I just keep telling myself that I might lose the battle but I'm going to win the war. Get out with my family intact and then we will seriously make up some lost time in the festivities arena. Hang in there- we'll get through this!
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  Perry

  Like HOW MANY feasts and special days did ancient ISRAEL have? Bunches.

  Traditions are cool and add much spice to drearydom.
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  blondie

  I don't let what I missed drag me down...people have loving families without xmas. There are those who are in abusive families despite celebrating xmas. I don't consider missing xmas and bdays abuse. I know what real abuse is.

  Added: With a pedophile father and an alcoholic mother...xmas would not have added much to my life. What did add to my life were the people outside my family that showed love to us.
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  DS211

  I understand why you would feel that way blondie. going through great suffering can teach you to appreciate the small and wonderful things. But if you had grown up without the abuse...if you had seen and felt what i feel, and you femt it your whole life and it was THEN taken away...i dont see it as abuse...but i do feel i am missing some extraordinary and wonderful moments with my kids. And i dont mean santa and all that. I just mean giving gifts and christmas lights and trees...to a child its awesome. My daughter stared at the tv as we watched home alone lol and when Rockefeller was shown with the tree lit up so did her eyes. Shes missing out. Hell even the Israelites had festivals right? Why dont the Wt celebrate hannukah? Jesus did didnt he? To me they take lives from others...that is abuse.
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  blondie

  DS, I am just saying that these things are just outward...the real foundation is love; the rest is just a nice addition. Without love, they mean nothing. Why not drive around and look at the lights in public spaces and other neighborhoods; we have an area where lights are donated and put up by donated labor from electricians, etc. There is no reason not to give gifts during this time, just skip the santas and other icons. Snowmen, winter scenes, snowflakes, etc., are not pagan symbols. The WTS has a warped view which was not always in place, Christmas was celebrated at Bethel until 1926. Create moments around family caring. Give gifts that are usable in winter, why wait till summer? jws are very hypocritical behind closed doors when it comes to the holidays, very, very, hypocritical. What comes out of their mouths rarely resembles what happens at home.

  I grew up in a "divided" household and visited non-jw friends and enjoyed their celebrations (and experienced their real caring, not that of my parents, non-jw father and "jw" mother.
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  DS211

  Excellent points blondie :-)