As a JW, what did you do on Christmas Day? (page 4)

Finally-Free

Christmas was a happy time of year. In the morning we went out in field service and pissed people off. In the afternoon my ex would nag me into repainting the apartment.

W

Magwitch

FF....Christmas was a happy time of year. In the morning we went out in field service and pissed people off. In the afternoon my ex would nag me into repainting the apartment

What a happy picture that paints in my mind!

As a single person, I stayed home. I guess Jehovah could only be pleased if I were alone and looking at four walls. All the JWs weren't around (and who knows where they went). They certainly weren't out in service So, where the hell were they?

It was this feeling of isolation during holiday times that got me seriously thinking about whether or not I wanted to continue as a JW.

designs

Go skiing with 3000 other JWs in Big Bear, Ca.

mrsjones5

Watched Christmas movies on tv.

Lozhasleft

We would get together with other JWs and go for a winter picnic or something in the early years ....it killed me not giving my kids Xmas....so I tried to make up for it .... when I think of all the wonderful fun Xmases we could have had ....

Loz x

GLTirebiter

An amazing number of jws went to partake....

Interesting choice of words, Blondie! "We'll start out with some bread and grape juice, please."

While married to my JW Ex, we went to the zoo on Christmas a time or two. "Apparently", every patron in the place was a Witness known to the Ex or ex-in-laws. Who else besides Witnesses go to the zoo on Christmas? If not for the staff having to come in and tend the animals anyway, they probably wouldn't bother opening.

WTWizard

I had some pretty wasteful Christmas Days. The first year in the cancer, I got dragged to my "teacher's" house (I was just studying then), so he could drag me to his brother's place (another witless). It was about as dull and dreary as possible--a dreary Christmas and a crappy New Year.

Another year, I wasted Christmas Eve at the book study. This was my "teacher's" brother and his family, and I had to waste the night there. We got up, and he was going to drag us out in field circus that morning. However, it snowed enough for him to get called into work, so we simply wasted the time going to the a$$embly hell (it was empty), and to a Kingdumb Hell out of the territory (also empty). That was a complete waste of the morning.

Most of the time, I would simply listen to music I had on tapes (the sanitized, wimpified collection after the "bad" songs were removed). I didn't dare turn on the radio or TV because they played Christmas songs and I didn't have a remote for either at the time. It was a complete waste, not even daring to enjoy the Christmas lights that were invariably displayed around. It could have been worse--the dingbat that dragged me into the cancer wanted me to get in the habit of doing field circus every Christmas, all day.

life is to short

What I hated was listening to JW parents tell their children that the Christmas lights were pagan and ugly. This one time we were on a coffee break about a week before Christman and the coffee house was all decorated really nicely for Christmas and in walked this JW family with their four year old little girl. The place was totally full of people and the little girl blurts out that Jehovah hates the pagan lights. Everyone just looked at us like we were freaks. The parents proudly told their little girl that yes she was right Jehovah hate Christmas. I was with the PO and his family, I truly wanted to crawl under the table. Then it got worse in walked one of the schizophrenic brothers in the hall with his service group and he says the same thing that the little girl said out loud so everyone could hear also. Now he is in his late 50's and looks normal. I was thinking what in the world are the non JW's thinking of us, everyone in the place that could hear us were looking at us like we were freaks .

Then the next day at the meeting the stupid PO comments in the WT study how wonderful it is that our children can voice how Jehovah hates Christmas and not care what others think, what a praise of glory to Jehovah it was. I was think OMG.

As far as me and what I did on Christmas. I was raised in the "truth" but my parents still did Christmas until my grandmother died. I loved it, it was so much fun peaceful then my grandmother died when I was seven the first part of December and that was it we did not even have Christmas that year. I was so confused, why was it OK and then not OK. I was too little to get it, I remember it just crushed me and I remember crying and crying at school when the teacher said I had to stay back as my mother had talked to her and told her we would not be doing Christmas that year.

I always liked the thought of Christmas and even when I was supper strong as a JW I still loved Christmas I just never told anyone of course. I hated saying thank you when someone wished me a Marry Christmas and when I thought I could get by with it I was say you have a Marry Christmas too.

It all seemed so stupid to get offended over it. People who wish you happy holidays are not being rude but so many JW's would get all puffed up and offended over it.

My husband wanted to go out in service a few Christmas's but that did not go on for too long.

I guess I tried in my own mind to enjoy the lights and the happiness of the worldly people. One year I dragged my husband to a part of town were they really light up their yards it was such a beautiful night as it had just snowed and the yards looked nice. My husband said he felt like he was cheating on Jehovah for letting me go. But he has talked about how beautiful that night was for years.

This religion is all so stupid.

LITS

I quit!

My husband did not let me visit my JW parents or other JW relatives over Christmas because he felt that was all part of celebrating the holidays (being with family).

That statement kind of bothered me. Even as a dub I wouldn't have wanted to control my wife to that extent. I could see a huband saying I don't want you to but saying I won't let you is just way too much over the top. Your husband must have been a real fun guy to live with. Maybe I never really understood the JW headship thing.

Sorry I got sidetracked from the question. Back to the point. I remember one time in my more zealous days as a JW I even went so far as going to work on Christmas Day even though it wasn't required of me because I was trying my best to be a good Jdubby an ignore Christmas as much as possible. However most of the of the time I did more normal things like go to a family members house for dinner. Like Blondie I also like watching holiday movies and my favorite back then and to this day is A Christmas Carol. In my area JWs that surfed would go to the beach because you could have the waves pretty much to yourself. Almost everyone else was at home opening presents with their families. I never went door to door on Christmas but I do remember going door to door on Thanksgiving Day. Even now I feel embarassed that I ever did anything that stupid.

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