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HOW THE WAY STOLE CHRISTMAS


Mark Clarke
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They did the same thing with Pentecost.

Yammering on and on about how we shouldn't esteem one day above the next only to, often times, make Pentecost Sunday the most heralded day of the year at HQ. Now, my intent is not to denigrate the significance of The Day of Pentecost to followers of Christianity. (Thought I better make that clear before "the strawman" makes an appearance.)

Edited by waysider
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Mark, I forgot to mention.....you go dude!!!

I remember it being just that way (no pun intended) out of headquarters. Christmas at the Way home (Limb) in Greenville, NC was not that way. There was always decorations, a huge tree and lots of presents under it. Maryann said she grew up celebrating Christmas and it never hurt her. Thankfully, not all leadership (and I use that term loosely concerning many others) bought into that.

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Mark, I forgot to mention.....you go dude!!!

I remember it being just that way (no pun intended) out of headquarters. Christmas at the Way home (Limb) in Greenville, NC was not that way. There was always decorations, a huge tree and lots of presents under it. Maryann said she grew up celebrating Christmas and it never hurt her. Thankfully, not all leadership (and I use that term loosely concerning many others) bought into that.

That's unusual. Did they call it Christmas or Household Holiday?

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Mark, I think in 1973 it was still called Christmas but after 1975, it was left up to the twig whether it was called Christmas or Happy Holidays. I was at ECU only from late August until Feb./winter quarter.

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Mark, I think in 1973 it was still called Christmas but after 1975, it was left up to the twig whether it was called Christmas or Happy Holidays. I was at ECU only from late August until Feb./winter quarter.

For sure it was household Holiday the whole time I was in twi from 79-83

Edited by leafytwiglet
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My memory seems to tell me that it was officially happy household holiday but wasn't enforced. I don't remember anyone getting "reproved" over saying Christmas. I know for sure that I never said household holiday. I don't recall any wayfers having Christmas trees specifically but don't remember it being a big deal one way or the other.

Attitudes could have varied a little by region, I guess.

sudo

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I seem to recall back in 1976 that we (my wow family) were informed that it wasn't "Christmas" anymore...we were now to refer to this pagan holiday as "Happy Household Holiday"...or as it became known as "Happy Ho Ho"...

Somehow the idea of Christmas wasn't part of what Vic saw that night when snow fell on the gaspumps. The absent Christ's birthday would not be celebrated in the same way that lesser Christians celebrated it. It would be different...part of that elitist mindset that said "We REALLY know the truth, you just think you do...SCHMUCK!"...we couldn't hold on to their "traditions" now could we?...not without putting our own spin on it...

...it was all part of the effort to isolate us from the real world and indoctrinate us into their little cult world...a world where even Santa was marked and avoided.

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TWI proably celebrated Christmas during the 60's but by 1975 follwed JW and WCOG(Armstrong) theology with Alexander Hislop and Ralph Woodrow's books on Babylon Mystery Religion/2 Babylons. Add on Lamsa, Pillai, Errico, Bullinger, Ernest Martin, Schoenheit's One God and One Lord. This does not include VPW;s spin zone/paradigm/interpretation of these other author's.

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I can understand, if you really believed that Jesus was born on September 11th, 3BC, and if you really believed that Christmas traditions were of pagan origin then I can understand not doing Christmas the way everyone else does.

What I didn't and still don't understand is what was it about December 25th that made it a Household Holiday?

If Christmas was so bad, why was it celebrated at all?

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I remember it being Household Holidays in about the mid 1970s.

We were well schooled in its pagan origins.

I think I must have been gone already (at least mentally) when it was called Ho-Ho.

In my opinion, it was kind of a rationalization that made it "o.k." for folks who were on assignments away from home to return and celebrate with their families without actually celebrating the so called pagan nature of it.

So it was "household" in a family context rather than the "One True Household" sense.

Incidentally, the sowers site has photos of them celebrating "Christmas" for whatever that's worth.

Edited by waysider
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So it was "household" in a family context rather than the "One True Household" sense.
Hmmm...I always interpreted it as Household with capital "H", as in one, true, rather than back home with the "earthly" family. But you know, so many things were left unsaid in TWI that it was easy for different interpretations to arise.

The first time I recall hearing "Ho-Ho" was as part of HOHoReLo - Household Holiday Relocation for the Corps.

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Hi hated the term household holiday and well ho ho was just plain goofy. I thought it was disrespectful. I wanted to giggle every time someone said "ho ho". I never used either titles. Of course, I never told anyone my thoughts on the matter since I thought I knew so much less about the bible and God. I had Christmas every year, baked goodies, sent Christmas cards to people who would appreciate them, decorated a tree and my son got gifts. I love Christmas time.

gc

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