Missing a big part of life

by lancelink 18 Replies latest jw experiences

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  lancelink

  I celebrated Christmas for 17 years before my parents became JW's.

  When we became witnesses my dad got rid of decades worth of Christmas decorations.

  My grandparents came over from Austria during WW 2 and ornaments from their parents were hung on our tree.

  The tradition went on up to the mid 70's,, we had many old ornaments that were just thrown out when the wt society thinking

  took over.

  Now that I am in my late 40's and have gone full circle, We will be celebrating the ho;lidays this year.

  Shopping at Target last night I fully realized what my family has lost. Decades worth of memorable decorations were disposed of in

  line with jw teachings.

  I feel that a huge part of my youth is gone,with no chance of getting any of it back.

  Yes, we could start over, but decades worth of those memories would have been nice, what a waste !

  Did any one else have an awakening like this ?
• 

  jamiebowers

  Yes, mine was with family photos. Luckly I got part of a large group before I was df'd and refused to give them back.
• 

  troubled mind

  Lance that really breaks my heart . I work in a gift store and we have a huge Christmas section ,over the years I have come to appreciate family traditions with ornaments . I want so much to start that tradition with my own family .
• 

  Satanus

  Yes.We moved away from all our relatives. I reconnected w some of them, to an extent. But, it's basically an empty relationship.

  As well, i also moved away from my brother, siss's and parents to where 'the need was greater'. After spending 15 yrs here, i woke up. Found myself basically, in another country, alone.

  S
• 

  Satanus

  Yes.We moved away from all our relatives. I reconnected w some of them, to an extent. But, it's basically an empty relationship.

  As well, i also moved away from my brother, siss's and parents to where 'the need was greater'. After spending 15 yrs here, i woke up. Found myself basically, in another country, alone.

  S
• 

  Quandry

  How sad. I'll bet they were beautiful ornaments with a story behind each one. Of course, in dubland, everything must be thrown away, or broken, so that no one else can benefit from the evil decorations.

  My husband, daughter, and I started celebrating three years ago. We all went to the store, and at first, each of us picked out three special ornaments, then a container of colored balls. Each year we add to the tree. Also, we went on vacation to Colorado last summer and bought some ornaments there that chronicled the sights we saw. So, we are starting our own traditions.

  I hope your family can start now making memories for years to come.
• 

  purplesofa

  Decades worth of memorable decorations were disposed of in

  line with jw teachings.

  I did the same thing, makes me sick to think about it
• 

  flipper

  LANCLINK- I had fond memories of when I was a young boy with my grandparents at holidays. Although my parents were JW's we still had turkey on Thanksgiving- my mom just called it a " family meal" so as not to seem she was compromising. But to my grandparents it was Thanksgiving ! LOL! I even remember doing Christmas when I was REAL young only 2 or 3 years old. But not long after that my parents started REALLY cracking down in the 1960's and were more firm against doing holidays with the grandparents. But my grandfather had a sizeable fortune which my mom as an only child stood to inherit ( which she did ) - so I'm sure my mom made allowances to appease my grandparents
• 

  blondie

  Quandry is right.

  I hope your family can start now making memories for years to come.

  Those ornaments are just objects. It is the memories that matter and those can't be taken away. I've been collecting for about 5 years. Part of my family were not jws but they had cheap taste in ornaments and after they died they were tossed anyway.

  
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  ziddina

  Lancelink, I can really sympathize. I had a complete collection of all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" works - and I mean the COMPLETE works, including all 4 of his books - "Sign of 4", "Hound of the Baskervilles", and the other two...

  I got rid of it - and it was a thing of beauty - threw it out in the trash when I was 13 or so because of some dumb talk about keeping free from demonic influences - because Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was deeply interested in spiritualism...

  Dumb me!!! I still miss that book... sigh... Zid