JWs can be real downers. They are proud of it. I met a woman who is Muslim who is a former Christian who is as obnoxious about Xmas as any JW and I just counseled her to calm it down. She was offending everyone in her path and she knows that Christmas does not come from an evil intent! She tells her kids the same crap our JW parents told her. I told her a little about my background. She has actually gotten a lot of charity from non Muslims(Christians and others) and Muslims as she has really turned her life around in the last years. I heard her trying to evil up christmas to her kids, telling them they could get gifts any time of the year, blah blah blah. I pointed out that her kids being self righteous about it is a turn off to the world (reminding her of the JWs of her childhood-she got it, immediately!). Pointed out that anyone doing kindnesses for others were being a blessing to them. That people celebrate with lights all over the world-it brightens up dark nites (homes of brides are lit up all over the middle east and in Egypt, there is a holiday that involves a lot of beatifll lights and lanterns.) Most of Christmas is secular, bt those who do bring the "reason"into the season are earnest and doing good things with that.
I encouraged her to allow her children to participate in the winter activities that were not Jesus centric because most are community centric and that is an important thing for her and her children to have. We do not live in insular religious communities. Being self righteous is not a good look for any kind of faith. Mostly, she was alienating her children from others in a way that was not necessary for them to learn and practice their faith. And they could look to that season as a time to help others because there were a lot of things to help with and a lot of needs were being made known. She had been helped by many and they didn't worry if they helped her during her own holiday time or not. They helped becase they saw a need and their help was not to honor Eid or in spite of it, it was because they were expressing their faith with love any time of the year that it was needed. So she didn't need to shut down her kids inclinations to kindness in case they were misconstrued as loving a holiday.
I don't live for Christmas at all (Muslim) bt I love the lights and cranberry bliss bars. Last year when they were taking down all the holiday things at my local store I was kind of sad because it is just a cosy time of the year that I enjoy. Even in Houston where it hasn't rained in weeks even.
The worse thing about christmas is that a lot of niceness is concentrated in that time. We should spread the nice out all year long. I am sure that Kermit said something nice about that in "A Christmas Carol" but I forget the song right now:)
