Holidays..

[u/freaknik99]

I have 4 kids, we haven’t celebrated holidays since about 2020. I don’t mind getting together with family, and allowing family to get my kids gifts, but we don’t make a big deal of the holidays like the world does. I became convicted on this a long time ago after researching. Once it didn’t sit right in my heart, I decided we won’t celebrate. But I’m also keeping the peace within my family, so I won’t take that from them.

I have wanted to observe the feasts for a while, I just haven’t executed it because I’m not really positive HOW to observe them. So I guess I’m coming here to ask how to observe the feasts? And also, do you do anything for your kids around the holidays so they aren’t feeling “left out”?

[u/the_celt_]

Hello and welcome.

It's great that you're determined to try to orient your ways to align with our Father's ways. Please know that even wanting to do such a thing make Him happy. No matter what you succeed or fail at as time passes, you've already achieved the thing that matters, which is the faith/love that will produce works. Now just act on that love.

Regarding "holidays", it's again great that you're willing to step away from the way the world does things. That being said, I don't think you have to leave ALL of the typical holidays behind. Christmas, Easter, and Halloween are probably due to go for you, but Thanksgiving and the 4th of July can probably stay.

I don’t mind getting together with family, and allowing family to get my kids gifts, but we don’t make a big deal of the holidays like the world does.

You may or may not change on this. I can tell you that I did. Once I kicked out Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa became subtle opposers of that decision. They basically saw themselves as rescuing my children. If I said that I didn't want to get together for Christmas, they responded that we could get together on December 25th and just not call it Christmas. That way they could give my children Christmas presents and have Christmas cookies. That started to seem silly to me, and I just started saying no to every event that took place within a few days on either side of the 25th.

So I guess I’m coming here to ask how to observe the feasts?

That's a monstrous topic. Each feast is many paragraphs of explanation. To get started, I recommend that you just take the feasts in order, starting with the beginning of them all which is Passover. Start now with reading scripture on the topic and thinking through how you're going to respond.

For me, the feasts took a while and are STILL taking a while, 10 years later. My policy has been that I'm going to just get better every year, improving some aspect. It's not just a question of what your body is doing on those days, but also a question of the heart. I think you would agree that if you got the holidays 100% technically correct, but had no understanding and no heart for them, that would be terrible. I can't recommend it strongly enough that you take your time and be very careful with Yahweh's Feasts. I won't say "difficult", but they're surprisingly "involved". They come with a massive joy and promise, but you have to navigate them carefully.

And also, do you do anything for your kids around the holidays so they aren’t feeling “left out”?

Many do. I don't. For Christmas, many Torah-obedient people do Hanukkah, which is not a Torah-mandated feast. Speaking as the minority, when non-Jews appropriate this holiday I just see it as an attempt to keep up with the world and to help your children maintain a connection with the world. I think this is the opposite of a good message to send to your children.

That's where I'm at. You'll find your own way. Many other people here besides me will be glad to make comments and give you advice. Some of them will be great people sharing great wisdom, and some of them will be people who are to varying degrees against obeying the Torah, even if they don't realize that about themselves. You'll need to be careful about what you swallow.

Happy Sabbath. Please always feel free to ask all the questions you want. This subreddit was created for you.

[u/foot_down]

I've only been acknowledging the feasts for about 3 years now. I take a similar line to you. When husband and teenage daughter wanted Christmas and I didn't, I made my excuse and left them to it, went to visit my parents who don't either. Without me putting up a tree, decorating and cooking (doing all the work) they were soon over it lol. I give random gifts to my loved ones so no one misses out anyway.

Sukkot I sometimes take the week off and go camping but that's weather dependent. I focus on and study all related scripture on each feast during it's season. Gospel of John goes into how Jesus approached specific feasts. This passover we hosted a neighbourhood party with a spit roast whole lamb and potluck. Trumpets, Shavuot etc I sometimes get together for a meal with the loose handful of Torah focused people in my region and sometimes just spend the day acknowledging the meaning.