Not all JW’s are the same because we have no traditions in gift giving. I know some families who celebrate on the parents wedding anniversary and have a special day that is all their own. I would rather have our own special day than have a rather meaningless one that the world celebrates commercially.
When the Christmas or Boxing Day sales are on, there is no prohibition on buying something because its ‘on special’. Buying goods is not unchristian and neither is giving gifts, we just don’t have manufactured commercial “holidays” where the masses are annually “fleeced”. We go about our lives ignoring what the world is doing and treat every day as a gift from God. Getting together is what we have always done (pre-COVID) and hopefully we may be able to do so again, but in the meantime...life goes on, albeit altered. We adjust.
Becoming a slave to tradition is what makes these celebrations so burdensome for many people. Keeping up with what others give as gifts, telling kids that Santa brought them a $1,000 gaming gadget when the poor kids were lucky to even get food is a bit hard to explain to a poor child, why Santa was only generous to the rich kids?
The whole thing is based on lies....which is something God hates.
Christmas is just Roman ‘saturnalia’ dressed up to look “Christian”. You can’t “Christianize” paganism....you just end up “paganizing” the Christianity....something Jesus would never have sanctioned.
Jews did not celebrate birthdays because of their pagan roots. There are no birthdates recorded in the Bible. No one knows the exact date when Jesus was born because it didn’t matter. We do know the precise date on which he died however, because we were commanded to commemorate it. It is the only thing we were asked to remember each year on the date on which it falls....not the closest weekend so everyone gets a holiday.
Last time I checked, the mere seasons haven't been declared diabolic yet.