Did you ever celebrate Christmas, and do you miss it?

sonnyboy

I see so many people on this board who are angry over what the Witnesses took from them. I often feel the same way, so I try to do something anti-JW every year, which seems to help.

Do you know what I'm going to do this year? I'm going to get the biggest damn Christmas tree I can find and decorate the sh*t out of my house! It's a secular holiday, so what the hell. I know Jews and Muslims who celebrate Christmas, and they hold no believe in Christ. I hope the hounding elders come by just as I'm plugging in the lights.

My father and stepmother celebrated Christmas when I was growing up, and it was magical. Candles burning, somber music in the background, decorating the tree, the intoxicating aroma of Christmas dinner, walking through the neighborhood and looking at the lights, and an overall feeling of peace. Just thinking about it makes me feel completely content. When my mother became a Witness, she took all of that away from me. My stepfather got us into the cult when I was a young child, and it was the worst thing he could have done. Even though I still "celebrated" Christmas with my real father, they did everything in the power to make sure that I didn't enjoy it as I once did.

I don't give a damn if Christmas is a pagan holiday. I don't care if it's not Jesus' birthday, if he even exists at all (part of me still wants to believe in Christ, going against my better judgement). I'd rather be a happy pagan than a miserable JW. I'm giving it another try this year, and I'm inviting all of my pagan relatives over for Christmas dinner.

Sunspot

an overall feeling of peace.

SonnyBoy, You said it all right there! Whatever the case----it does bring that sense of wonderment, renewal and warmth that I NEVER felt for the 30 years of WTism.

Like you, I had convinced myself that it no longer mattered (NOW that I was pleasing God) but I secretly missed all of it.

The year before I left the WTS we went to a family (nonJW) funeral in MA, and the SILS were making plans for the upcoming holidays; planning on the Christmas Eve dinner they were having. They would go to different homes, one for appetizers, the next for the entree, the next for dessert, etc.....it all sounded so wonderful to me!! Have to admit I was more than wishing that I could have been there. (sigh)

Jehovah wouldn't have approved.

Annie

TooOpinionated

You'd better believe it! My family made a big deal out of Christmas and sounds very similar to yours in regards to the they celebrated. They were devastated when I became a Witness. Now I have this incredible sadness of not having any Baby's First Christmas ornaments, pictures, videos etc. of the kids when they were wee tots.

But....

I have made up for lost time.I am an over-the-top Christmas nut. I buy Christmas decorations all year long (just got a few more off ebay today!) I have 4 trees (all sizes with more on the way), and try to decorate (tastefully) every room in my house. I'm even close to being finished with my Christmas shopping!!!!!

My kids are young yet, and I want to make up for lost time, plus give them that magical feeling that I grew up with before it is too late. I'm also planning on having a "Christmas In July" party. I'm thinking of keeping my house open Christmas Eve day, all night, and Christmas Day for all the firemen and police officers, etc, that will be working those shifts. That way they can have some place to go for some festive food and drink, and we can show our appreciation to them. It is so lonely for them on those shifts on holidays. And after being a dub, I want to atone for so much of the arrogance and selfishness that was displayed, albiet unknowingly, because sadly Witnesses think they are better than everyone else.

Check out The Spirit Of Christmas series of books....they will put you in the mood no matter what time of year. LOL

luna2

I didn't grow up as a JW so I celebrated Christmas until I was about 30. It was magical as a child, less than magical after I got married. My ex did not have good memories of the holiday from his youth (lots of drunken fights and such whenever they all got together), so he was extremely lukewarm about it all. Also, after we were married, we had NO extra money. Christmas became a financial burden, but instead of telling relatives that we'd prefer not to exchange gifts and just enjoy being together, we went into debt.

When the JW's came along, it was almost a relief. Not that I was happy about denying my children Santa and Christmas trees and gifts, but I was happy not to have to scrimp and save to buy mediocre presents for the rest of the family....stuff that I'm sure ended up in a closet or given away any how.

Now I'm looking forward to decorating a bit, enjoying the music and lights and having dinner with my son. I don't want to fall back into the gift-giving trap, but I am looking forward to the celebration of family and friends.

EvilForce

Since I've never celebrated Xmas growing up, I've always had a detached clinical view of it. I just really can't get into the spirit of it. It seems as fake as the smiles at the KH. Families getting together for a day or two that normally never speak to each other the rest of the year. I use the time instead to travel somewhere else in the world. That time of the year is slow for me. But even then, it's a bit like watching in the windows of someone. Mildly detached from the goings on of the world. I can't say I miss it per se. I just "miss" what that feels like.

sonnyboy

Families getting together for a day or two that normally never speak to each other the rest of the year.

That was one of my favorite parts. People have busy lives during the rest of the year and don't always have time to visit, not that I'd want to see some of them throughout the year, but it's nice to catch up once in a while.

If you've never celebrated Christmas it's probably hard to understand. It's either a love or hate thing....I think it depends on our experiences with Christmas as children. The only aspect I don't like is the commercialism, but that can be controlled by the individual. The atmosphere is what I miss; it was an unbelievable feeling. You can't fake something like that.

jeeves

i never celebrated xmas growing up... BUT conveniently my parents anniversary was very close to christmas so we had a suspiciously similar celebration! gift exchange, family time, etc

my "worldly" relatives sent us kids presents and when i went back to school after the xmas holidays, i'd lie and say my 'anniversary' presents were xmas presents.

now i don't really celebrate, although i have a partner. he's not too big into xmas either, but there is something i like about it... christmas to me is feeling warm and cozy indoors when it's cold and snowy outside. it's a sense of calm

and i put up xmas lights outside for the first time last year! i bought the blue ones i've always liked!

childhood memory time:
on the way to the bookstudy as a child, sitting next to my mom in the front seat, we were looking at the xmas lights and picking our favourites. after saying i liked the blue ones, my mom explained to me that satan transforms himself into an angel of light and that i had to dislike the christmas lights or else i would make satan happy. i felt horrible!

Netty

I know! I love celebrating Christmas! I feels so great to do something so wonderful, and yea, there's that whole we never got to do it growing up thing, that makes it even more enjoyable. What really adds to it, is my small children. There is just nothing like celebrating X-mas (and other holidays for that matter) with your children.

We used to do the anniversary gift exchange thing too, but guess someone turned us in, we were bothering sensitive conscienses out there, so that was the end of that. But still, that no where near made up for not being able to do the real x-mas, at the real time of year.

I remember I came to a point at school where I just lied, made up that I got something for X-mas, rather than have to ~~witness~~ humiliate myself by having to explain the whole stupid she-bang as to why we did not celebrate.

Robert K Stock

I celebrated Christmas until I was 14. Since I was a hardcore Witness I did not miss it at all. Both of my brothers hated not celebrating.

A few years after I left the Watchtower I practised Judaism for five years so I still did not celebrate Christmas.

Now that I am an Athiest, I celebrate the Winter Solstice and tell everyone that I celebrate the pagan holiday that Christmas is based on.

jeanniebeanz

My home is known for over the top decorations for all the holidays, but especially Christmas, Halloween and the 4th of July. I have 33 missing years to make up for and we celebrate in style.

J

Did you ever celebrate Christmas, and do you miss it?

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