by Nosferatu 14 Replies latest jw friends
For those of you who grew up in the Troof, what do you remember about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
I recall an empty feeling. It was a special day all over the world, except for the JWs. We were the excluded from this special day. No decorations, no presents, and no meal. It was just a really empty feeling.
I remember Christmas morning 1974 traipsing through the snow in Brooklyn Heights going to work at the Factory at Bethel. The snow had fallen through the night and was fresh on the ground. No one else was up and there was hardly any traffic between the Bethel Home and the Factory. While most of the rest of the world had the day off (I'd even had that day off from my secular job before coming to Bethel), we put in a full day's work at the factory. I remember wondering what the locals on Cranberry and Orange Streets thought as a thousand people suddenly walked by on their way to work on such a peaceful morning.
One that stands out in my mind is going in service on Christmas morning, must have been late '60's. With the circle serpant, no less. (circuit servant, but that's what we affectionately called him) One very nice couple invited us in for mimosa's! The cs accepted one! I was only about 19 and had to settle for orange juice.
Our family was either Presbyterian or Methodist until I was about 10 years old and got dragged to the Kingdom Hall, kickiing and screaming to no avail. So, we had the normal childhood memories of traditional Christmas.
I remember the strangest JW Christmas - it was in Clinton, Oklahoma. I was about 20, and had just discovered my first clear doubts about the Witnesses...( discovered the dishonesty about plugging the "divine name" all over into the NWT bible). I was scheduled to go to "overseer school" in Pittsburgh PA the following February but was already getting a kind of funny feeling about the whole thing.
Anyhow, I am living in an Airstream trailer out behind the Kingdom Hall & pioneering there to help out this little congregation. I had to drive downtown to get something on Christmas Eve. It was snowing, and all the stores had their lights on and the decorations & music up and going. I suddenly had the strangest feeling of Deja-Vu or something --- I suddenly missed Christmas and being a normal person. The really strong part of this feeling lasted about 2 or 3 days, but I have never forgotten it.
Strange, isn't it, the way the Watchtower Society arrogantly rules on which holidays you can or cannnot do - without any authority from the Bible at all except for their own whims of the moment!
Merry Christmas to all you fellow Apostates!
James
Mom was third-generation JW, but old enough to have celebrated Xmas before it became a huge no-no. Dad was baptized in order to get her to marry him, then disfellowshipped in 1968 (but they didn't divorce, just lived in a "divided house").
Dad's birthday (also not celebrated) is on the 23rd. He'd generally come home drunk on the 22nd and stay that way 'til New Years. We had no clue he was depressed because of the holidays/b-day/etc. Mom just insisted it was because he was "worldly."
He would often buy those big Xmas stockings full of candy for us--which Mom then "removed" from the stocking and pulled all the pretty Xmas wrapping off before allowing us to have it--the day after Xmas, so there would be no confusion.
It pretty much sucked.
Jankyn
When I was small I wished that Santa was real and just once he would come down that chimmey and give me a present. Even then I loved the season. Never told my parents that.
The kids out on the street playing with the cool sh*t they got for Christmas..My mom telling me how those poor people can only give gifts once a year,Jehovah`s Witness`s can give gifts all year round.(Except Christmas it would seem.)..She`s a sienor citizen now and tells anyone who will listen "aging is unnatural"..
...OUTLAW
As a father of 3, I thought and felt superior to the rest of those celebrating such a "pagan holiday". To not have my family involved in such pagandom. I remember saying over and over again for years... "Satan has done wonders with that pagan holiday"
If only there were a way to turn back the clock. It nauseates me to think of all the joy we as a family could have had, had we not listened to the edicts of a bunch of old Brooklyn New York geezers.
Dismembered
I remember wrapping presents in "foil" wrap, and giving them to each other on Christmas Day as a "family" type present. I also remember having a big meal. We did this for several years during the 1970's, 80's, 90's. We somewhat still do it
Hi guys: I am not, never was, and thanks to you, never will be a JW. However, I have a JW memory of Christmas--they showed up at our door Christmas Day and debated with my folks about Christ...I was a kid, what did I know? We all felt SO SORRY for you folks missing out on the joy of the season, and a little bewildered: Why would you go out on Christmas Day? Didn't you know you would be interrupting a special celebration for Christian families? Of course, if this happened now, I would say "Come on in, I'd love to talk...let me show you some things I found on the Internet, would you like some cookies and hot chocolate?"
