As a JW, what did you do on Christmas Day? (page 3)

blondie

magwitch, I suppose I was pagan. I watched elders have parties and show R-rated movies. My grandparents were Bible Students and they celebrated holidays. I find that most jws strained out the gnat and gulped down the camel.

Magwitch

I find that most jws strained out the gnat and gulped down the camel ....So true Blondie! I was just teasing about being pagan.

Podobear

We had turkey and all the trimmings... Dad is an Elder.. my mum is vehemently opposed (to this day). Dad would not put up the bunting, but let Mum do it if she so wished.

It was actually very hard receiving presents, and feeling guilty, as if we were sharing in the celebrations. I think in the vast majority of "Divided" families it is the mother who is the JW.

We had it all the other way round... there was little guidance for us in WT literature, and we kind of developed this uneasy compromise.

Mum's parents were married on Christmas day and one of her sisters was severed in half by an army truck around Christmas time in 1944. So, you can imagine, how she wept in the kitchen, shackled to a Turkey.

Christmas..... hate it.

Podo

warmasasunned

what a great question. i knew a sister who had a celebration bush (mmm!) strange but true, i never had the heart to ask what she was celebrating instead of christmas and why the celebration happened on the same day.

i tried to pretend i wasnt bothered, i think that out of the 7 christmas i spent as a witness, i only once managed to convince myself i wasnt totally missing out. then again on the bright side i appreciate christmas even more now.

most jws i knew had family around and the kids might get a present....all bollocks, but i belive that most witness dont actually really take the watchtower seriously, and its a lifestyle choice ..... some choice. anyway HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS

p.s if your still a jw get a celebration bush.

Nowman

As much as I know my parents were fanatical JWs, the holidays were some how the time, my parents actually felt sorry for me. They always made sure I got new clothes during xmas break so that I had something new too...

One year, they woke me up at 2am in the morning and said "surprise" we're going to Disney World...

We never got together with family...mom, dad, and I were the only JWs besides a great aunt...

We did however get together with JW friends on holidays too...and yes I was one of those kids that had to go door to door on certain holidays also.

The new clothes brought me a temporary happiness tho, and to this day, it still does.

Nikki

undercover

When I was a kid, our parents drug us out in service. God, I dreaded xmas day... knocking on doors, disturbing people who are trying to enjoy their family time. It was terrible.

When I got older and could arrange my own time to do things, I went to the movies on xmas day. It was fun. The theaters were mostly empty. I did that for years. But somewhere along the way, it became chic to go to the movies on xmas day. The last time I went on xmas day, several years ago, the line was out the door and down the block. I gave up after that.

Now we usually just sleep in, fix a nice brunch and play video games or watch movies on DVD. If the holiday falls on around the weekend, we might go out of town, somewhere kind of secluded.

Thor

Hi Magwitch!

In the really early years after we came into the "truth" we actually went out in service a couple of times on Christmas morning. We quickly realized that was no fun, so we didn't do that anymore.

We were both raised out of the borg, so Christmas always had a special feeling even though we didn't "celebrate" it.

Most of the witnesses we knew dreaded Christmas and complained about the music in the stores etc.

We on the other hand started looking forward to it more and more because we always had a long weekend off work, and the kids were always off school. We started our custom of going out of town for a couple of days to spend time as a family together. We went to Keystone a lot, Breckenridge, and Vail. We also got to go to Mexico a couple of times, and really had fun there.

Now we are starting new customs together, and enjoying ourselves! We went to Keystone again last year and stayed in a really nice condo, we might go there again this year. The kids and their significant others love to snowboard, and it's only about a two hour drive. Keystone has night skiing, so everyone can just play all day and have fun!

Love, Mr. and Mrs Thor

Cthulhu

Field Service

blondie

There were 2 restaurants that had free meals on Christmas day. An amazing number of jws went to partkae....

undercover

free meals on Christmas day.

There were Chinese restaurants open on xmas day when I was a kid. We went on xmas day a few times. The scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie and his family go to one reminds me of our going to Chinese restuarants on xmas day and being the only people in there.

The only places to get a free meal on xmas day around here were the soup kitchens. And they were too crowded. I'd rather pay and go to a Chinese restaurant.

As a JW, what did you do on Christmas Day?

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