How? (page 2)

bikerchic

I eased into it at first. Christmas was the first celebration for me on my first year out. I was rooming at a friends house and he was big time into Christmas. He went all out on decorating and soon I was sucked into hanging decorations, then we had a big X-mas dinner party which was a first for me. It was fun, and I felt sooooo guilty! I didn't know if any of my kids were celebrating anything. We were all living in different places and even though none of them were going to meetings I didn't know just how far out they had really gone.

The next year because my Granddaughter's birthday is close to X-mas and I wanted to send her a birthday gift but wasn't sure how my daughter would feel about that, I was really torn about what to do. It was all settled for me when I called my daughter and while talking to my granddaughter on the phone she spilled the beans about getting ready for Santa to come.........this was the first X-mas my daughter and her family was celebrating since they quit going to meetings 2 years prior.

Well that was the beginning of openly celebrating the holidays for us as a family. Our first and so far only family holiday that we all were together for was last Thanksgiving, it was so awesome! We did a Secret Santa drawing for X-mas, which was fun and with a big family like we have it will become a tradition for the adults. The grand kids will get prezzies from all of us since there are only 4 right now, lucky kids!

So we do birthdays, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July which we had a family/birthday celebration this year, it was fun! We felt like such dorks because we weren't sure we were doing it right, LOL.

As far as the religious status attached to any of the holidays I can't do that, so with Christmas it's all about snowman, trees, snowflakes OK more of a winter celebration than a religious one. Oh and something about Santa really turns me off, I just don't like the Santa faces and figureines, they scare me! The same for Halloween, I can't get into the witches and ghost, I do a fall theme with pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns and I don't do Easter at all. Oh Valentines is a biggy for me and Craig as well as Christmas which is also our wedding anniversary.

I'm enjoying them and hope you can eventually ease into it, however you do it I'm sure it will be right for you and the time will be right.

Kate

Elsewhere

It was a very quick and easy transition for me. I eagerly look forward to every holiday!

Odrade

Lost... try and get in on holiday stuff with other people. Go to a Halloween party, try and have Turkey day with friends or your gf's family. Once you do the first year with friends, you'll know kind of which ones you're into.

O

Nosferatu

I think Christmas is the most difficult for me. The spirit of it was crushed as a child, and I've been having a very difficult time getting into it. Birthdays are just big drunken parties for me. I love it!!

Then, there's my most favorite: Halloween. I love getting all dressed up in a costume and going out to the bar. It's the one time a year that I can be overly creative about my appearance. It's the time of year where I can be what I wanna be. (I still want to go as that giant record with the wooden spoons from the TV show "Size Small")

Go as slow as you need to. Years of not celebrating this stuff can either take a toll on you, or you can let all your frustrations out in one shot. It's your choice.

Mulan

As far as the religious status attached to any of the holidays I can't do that

That's how we feel too, Kate. Christmas at our house has a lot of Santa Claus stuff.

dh

i have still never celebrated anything.

Devils Advocate

I feel left out at Christmas time because I didn't get any gifts as a child and it feels like I have a void in what should have been a safe, comfortable, normal childhood. It's like I'm going thru the motions w/o understanding it fully. With my three kids I usually shower them lots and lots of gifts and that's exciting but I find myself saying "bah-humbuh" alot. Thank god for hot tea and rum.

Satanus

I have only gotten into christmas a little bit. I like all the lights on buildings at night. The more, the better. I almost got a tree last yr. The yr before that, i went to a big catholic church to listen to the choir while i was stoned. It was great. Then, the pompous priest came out and i left.

S

onacruse

Yeah, like Kate said

...except to add: I had to get Hislop and the WTS out of my head--twisted and narrow-minded interpretations of ancient history, presented only for the purpose of promoting specific religious agendas, agendas which have no meaningful application to normal human social coexistence.

I know of one JW who had no objection whatsoever to the liability, and responsibility, of the WTS re the pedophilia issues, UN issues, changing doctrine issues, etc etc etc...yet, when it came to actually having a stupid little Xmas tree in the house...omg, it was like the world had come to an end.

Symbols are very powerful.

It's amazing what can happen when the blinders are removed.

Sassy

well I wanted to jump head first in last year, since I had watched my dad and his side of the family celebrate all those years..

but.. I lived too far away to go home to celebrate with him and my brother and sister..

so I bought some decorations and a tree and ornaments.. set it up and put my lone little present from cruzanheart for secret santa under the tree..

I remember I was all weepy and a little drunk on xmas eve last year and posted on here that I was.......cuz it was my first xmas and I was alone.. well my bf was here but he is muslim so he doesn't celebrate.. Then SimpleSally and Morty read my post and was all worried about me.. SimpleSally had me come over for a while (she had my bf bring me) and then the next morning she had me come back for a real xmas morning...

this year I had hoped to fly home to celebrate with dad and siblings.. we'll see if I can manage a ticket, cuz my heart sure is set on it

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