Why don't JWs celebrate Christmas?

[Dawnofhope]

How do JWs spend Christmas day?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Happy Christmas for those who celebrate it or find it meaningful btw.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Speaking as a knowledgeable outsider, JWs don't celebrate any birthdays, including Jesus and their own.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/

Christmas has the added bonus of incorporating pagan festivities which JWs feel are unbiblical.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/why-not-celebrate-christmas/

Further, they feel like the one celebration Jesus encouraged was the Lord's evening meal, which replaced the passover celebration. It's the only officially recognized holiday JW celebrate.
https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/bible-teach/the-lords-evening-meal/

 

[Vinayaka]

Lots of reasons not to celebrate festivals. Back when I taught, some Muslims, the JWs, and anyone else not wanting to celebrate were supervised in the library by you know who.

It's a free country, last time I heard.

 

[JustGeorge]

Lots of reasons not to celebrate festivals. Back when I taught, some Muslims, the JWs, and anyone else not wanting to celebrate were supervised in the library by you know who.

It's a free country, last time I heard.

What do they get to do under such supervision?

I had a JW friend when I was in elementary school, and they let her go to the office and use coloring books during birthday celebrations. Always curious where people disappear off to in later years, though.

 

[Vinayaka]

What do they get to do under such supervision?

I had a JW friend when I was in elementary school, and they let her go to the office and use coloring books during birthday celebrations. Always curious where people disappear off to in later years, though.

We played games, some read. I did a bit of tutoring. All in all, it was a lot more fun that practicing the Christmas concert. Several other kids were envious.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Do JW acknowledge their child's and jesus' birthdays?

They don't need to celebrate it... but I'd assume they are thankful for the birth of their child and passion of christ? I'm sure?

 

[JustGeorge]

Do JW acknowledge their child's and jesus' birthdays?

They don't need to celebrate it... but I'd assume they are thankful for the birth of their child and passion of christ? I'm sure?

This makes me wonder if birthdays are really a universal celebration. I worked with a few Africans over the years who weren't entirely sure of their birthdays.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

Do JW acknowledge their child's and jesus' birthdays?
They don't need to celebrate it... but I'd assume they are thankful for the birth of their child and passion of christ? I'm sure?

Children are an inheritance from Jehovah according to Psalms 127:3
.... and as Jesus showed his delight with little ones as per Mark 10:13-14
see www.jw.org

 

[Sunstone]

This makes me wonder if birthdays are really a universal celebration. I worked with a few Africans over the years who weren't entirely sure of their birthdays.

My birthday is January 10th. I barely celebrate it and I sometimes -- well, I often -- forget it until someone calls wishing me a happy B-day. Basically, it comes so close to Christmas, New Year's, and the International Balinese Donkey Porn Film Festival, that I'm pretty 'partied out' by the time it roles around.

 

[JustGeorge]

My birthday is January 10th. I barely celebrate it and I sometimes -- well, I often -- forget it until someone calls wishing me a happy B-day. Basically, it comes so close to Christmas, New Year's, and the International Balinese Donkey Porn Film Festival, that I'm pretty 'partied out' by the time it roles around.

Ha! If I waited for someone to call, I'd never know. My husband reminds me when another one rolls around... Unfortunately, he doesn't remember how old I am. I typically do, though one year I had to call my dad and ask... I could have done the math, but math makes me gassy.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Children are an inheritance from Jehovah according to Psalms 127:3
.... and as Jesus showed his delight with little ones as per Mark 10:13-14
see www.jw.org

Yes? No?

 

[Vee]

We don't celebrate X-mas for the reasons that @ADigitalArtist mentioned. I actually stopped celebrating it before I became a Witness anyway because I knew Jesus wasn't born the 25th of December and I hated the consumerism that came with the X-mas celebrations, so even if I wasn't a JW I wouldn't celebrate it. It's such a relief for me not to be part of all that insanity.

 

[Vee]

Do JW acknowledge their child's and jesus' birthdays?

They don't need to celebrate it... but I'd assume they are thankful for the birth of their child and passion of christ? I'm sure?

Everybody has a birthday once a year. It's a fact. We just don't make a big production out of it. We don't do the cake with the candles and the gifts, but that doesn't mean we're not grateful for our kids or for what Jesus did for us. There are many ways to show appreciation and buying stuff is not necessarily one of them.
I don't have kids, but I enjoy playing with other people's children and having a good time with them. I give kids gifts at different times, not because I'm supposed to , but because I want to. I honestly think the best way to make children feel valued is to show them love, pay attention to them, spend quality time with them. Kids love that

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Everybody has a birthday once a year. It's a fact. We just don't make a big production out of it. We don't do the cake with the candles and the gifts, but that doesn't mean we're not grateful for our kids or for what Jesus did for us. There are many ways to show appreciation and buying stuff is not necessarily one of them.
I don't have kids, but I enjoy playing with other people's children and having a good time with them. I give kids gifts at different times, not because I'm supposed to , but because I want to. I honestly think the best way to make children feel valued is to show them love, pay attention to them, spend quality time with them. Kids love that

I don't see none celebration a big deal then. My friend is christian but she doesn't celebrate birthdays and the kids relatives give the kids presents.

Problem is that JW and like Christians focus on history as if giving a present somehow turns to paganism even though the intentions are clearly not. It's kind of like not celebrating communion because pagans had communion for their reasons. I can see it a personal choice but religious, no.

Shrugs. It is what it is.

 

[Vinayaka]

This makes me wonder if birthdays are really a universal celebration. I worked with a few Africans over the years who weren't entirely sure of their birthdays.

Besides that, there are cultures who use a non-solar calendar, so birthdays vary on that calendar.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

..................
Problem is that JW and like Christians focus on history as if giving a present somehow turns to paganism even though the intentions are clearly not. It's kind of like not celebrating communion because pagans had communion for their reasons. I can see it a personal choice but religious, no..................

I find the focus is on ' lies '. Not just the giving of Christmas-gift-wrapped presents or exchanging of gifts but the lies connected to such a practice.
So, it is Not ' the giving a present ' that somehow turns to paganism but the giving connected to a lie.
Presents can be given at any time. Whereas, Christmas presents are given at Christmas which is based on: lies.
Pagans had Nothing to do with Christmas lies.

Jesus instructed ' communion ' as found at Luke 22:19 the annual observance of Jesus' day of death, the Jewish Spring month of Nisan the 14th day.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I find the focus is on ' lies '. Not just the giving of Christmas-gift-wrapped presents or exchanging of gifts but the lies connected to such a practice.
So, it is Not ' the giving a present ' that somehow turns to paganism but the giving connected to a lie.
Presents can be given at any time. Whereas, Christmas presents are given at Christmas which is based on: lies.
Pagans had Nothing to do with Christmas lies.

Jesus instructed ' communion ' as found at Luke 22:19 the annual observance of Jesus' day of death, the Jewish Spring month of Nisan the 14th day.

I don't understand. If they can give gifts at anytime, is it no longer a lie if they give a gift the day before or after christmas?

What makes the giving inherently pagan oriented based on the day of the year, the type of celebration, and wrapping presents?

It's almost as if I came to judge JW and say they don't believe in god because all of their references to interpretation is through Watchtower literature and not just the bible. Wouldn't the internal message or point be the key not the day of the year, christmas trees, and wrapped presents?

Usually it's the study, worship, or communion that's the key not the Watchtower, Hall instead of a Church, or Communion on Saturday that makes one denomination better than another. At least I would assume.

 

[URAVIP2ME]

I don't understand. If they can give gifts at anytime, is it no longer a lie if they give a gift the day before or after christmas?
What makes the giving inherently pagan oriented based on the day of the year, the type of celebration, and wrapping presents?
It's almost as i I came to judge JW and say they don't believe in god because all of their references to interpretation is through Watchtower literature and not just the bible. Wouldn't the internal message or point be the key not the day of the year, christmas trees, and wrapped presents?
Usually it's the study, worship, or communion that's the key not the Watchtower, Hall instead of a Church, or Communion on Saturday that makes one denomination better than another. At least I would assume.

A gift ( Not talking about exchanging gifts ) can be given any time, but yes wrappings could indicate a connection to something.
Jesus instructed a 'communion' to be just once a year an annual observance of his date of death which comes on a different day each year - Luke 22:19.
More about the biblical ' key' can be researched at www.jw.org

 

[Sirona]

Used to have a JW friend who told me that once a year her parents would give her one "big gift" at a random day just between Christmas and her birthday. She also visited me once at my university. After rattling down all the JW stuff she suggested we should go to the traditional Christmas market. Because, stopping at booths for buying stuff and drinking hot spiced wine is celebrating it, whereas walking down the rows of booths without stopping anywhere and buying things is just walking, which is not forbidden by the JW's religion. According to her, before corona, all JW's would meet at a certain adventure pool center on December 26th, which is also not celebrating Christmas, but just swimming. I also read they are free to celebrate any non-religious "spring/summer/autumn/winter" festivals which may or may not be close to anybody's birthday.

 

[JustGeorge]

I also read they are free to celebrate any non-religious "spring/summer/autumn/winter" festivals which may or may not be close to anybody's birthday.

That's very interesting, because those seasonal celebrations are very much indeed tied up to Paganism!