Family Day??

ConcernedMom

Mulan mentioned this on another thread and coincidentally, my daughter and I were discussing it today. Her JW boyfriend and his family have been talking about it...his little sister is making her list of gifts she wants, parents checking out the holiday flyers for good deals on video games etc. I gather they get up early, have lots of presents and special meals and get together with extended family. Hmmm....this sounds so familiar...sort of like Christmas but they have it a few days later. Is this common to most JW families or just this one? The also had a "movie and pizza night" on Halloween with big bowls of candy. Since one of the objections to Christmas is that it has pagan roots, if you are celebrating "family day" in lieu of Christmas, aren't its roots linked to Christmas and in turn to pagan traditions?? Just strikes me as a bit hypocritical, that's all.

caligirl

We had "Family Day" all through my childhood and into my mid 20's, and in my opinion, it is definitely a "replacement" for Christmas, though you will never get that admission from any active witness who does this. In my family, it was always done in late January or February to make sure that no one would be "stumbled". I agree that it is, in a sense, hypocritical, but it compares only in the gift giving arena, not on any level of pagan traditions. Just people who feel gyped out of the holidays and want to some how make up for not celebrating.

blondie

You will find nothing about this JW masquerade replacing the holidays in the WT publications. I heard of JWs doing this, but not my family. We were a "divided household" so "had to go" to the holiday events our father "forced" us to.

It only proves what hypocrites some JWs are.

We used to celebrate Thanksgiving until we started inviting non-JW relatives. They couldn't see how we were different...so the celebrating ended.

The only official use of "Family Day" is the term "Family Night" a time when the Bethelites put on skits and performances for friends and family at Bethel.

kwintestal

As a kid we had "Happy Day" and sang "Happy, Happy Day to you! Happy, Happy Day to you!" No joke.

Later on, my parents started making their wedding anniversary a big deal, and giving out presents and stuff then.

Kwin

flower

We never did anything like that but I think its good for the jw kids. They need something.

Scarlet

My parents gave us gifts on their anniversary when we were kids, my extended family would also come to the anniversary party and give us something usually $10 in a card. That was it that was all we were allowed. Trust me its not the same as your birthday or christmas.

freedom96

I knew of a family that would have a big turkey meal a couple of days after Thansgiving. I also knew of a few families that would make note of a special day, such as a birthday, without saying it.

In the hall I was in growing up however, no one would have dared to try anything remotely like subsitutions of holidays.

Twice in my youth we had a gift day, which was cool. But like I said, only twice. I remember people in the hall making excuses saying that we give gifts all year. I remember thinking, well, not really. My gifts didn't come close to all the ones my friends got during the holidays.

Mulan

All of our friends had Family Day on their anniversary. Some made it a really big event, and others downplayed it.

Gill

I never had gifts from my parents as a child.

The only time I received gifts was from neighbours when they celebrated Christmas.

My kids are goig to have a different life

Rock on Christmas, New Year, birthdays, November 5th, we even had fireworks this year!!!!!!!

flower

((gill)) i feel ya. My mother gave me two gifts in my life (and one was a field service bag!)

Heres to holidays and gift giving!

Family Day??

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