New Thanksgiving post from the Maxwells.

[SPHASH]

Actually I originally wrote that... :whistle:

Yes you did and I did give you credit for it in the post.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Oh, didn't mean to imply any problem! Wider audience is always good for exposing the... family togetherness! :D

[Odd1Out]

I wonder if the reason they use e-mail and phones to communicate is that they actually don't really talk to each other that much. We've joked on here about the types of stilted conversations they must have, but I'm beginning to suspect that they really don't speak to each other too much out of fear that they'll say something wrong and be told on.

Interesting. Any thing is possible in that family. We know Steve doesn't like chitchat. Maybe that's why Sarah and Anna found it so exciting to be using computers at the same time. They were able to talk to each other. But they are all so scheduled, you would assume they go over the daily list of things to do every morning at breakfast. Nobody filling Mary in each day of what is going on seems ridiculous.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I wonder what would happen if for one day, Steve wasn't there and the rest of his minions were told that they don't need to follow the routine, and can go and do what they want. I think they would be lost without being controlled. They've practically caged their children, they don't know what freedom is.

If one of them started courting, they would probably be super scared because they don't know how to interact with others, they probably spend most of the day in silence with the occasional stilted, awkward conversation. They don't know how to make choices, or know how to spend their time if they don't have their time broken down into half hour chunks and every minute scheduled.

[Jana814]

I wonder what would happen if for one day, Steve wasn't there and the rest of his minions were told that they don't need to follow the routine, and can go and do what they want. I think they would be lost without being controlled. They've practically caged their children, they don't know what freedom is.

If one of them started courting, they would probably be super scared because they don't know how to interact with others, they probably spend most of the day in silence with the occasional stilted, awkward conversation. They don't know how to make choices, or know how to spend their time if they don't have their time broken down into half hour chunks and every minute scheduled.

Agree!!

[albanuadh_1]

OT from Thanksgiving but for some strange reason this morning I started to wonder if the Maxwells ever listen to Christmas music. Surely they would be 'allowed' Christmas carols or hymns? I realize it might come under the category of "fun" but the focus would still be on Jesus.

[ILoveJellybeans]

OT from Thanksgiving but for some strange reason this morning I started to wonder if the Maxwells ever listen to Christmas music. Surely they would be 'allowed' Christmas carols or hymns? I realize it might come under the category of "fun" but the focus would still be on Jesus.

There are no Christmas songs about death, so no.

[Evilbad]

While I do agree with not letting young kids/teens have email/social media until they're a little bit older, I think it's stupid to assume that it's the only method to inform everybody about times and schedules.

[uber frau]

The Maxwells are full of stupid assumptions so this one fits right in there with the rest.

[Jana814]

The Maxwells are full of stupid assumptions so this one fits right in there with the rest.

This!

[nelliebelle1197]

There are no Christmas songs about death, so no.

They go caroling every single year, so of course

[singsingsing]

And there are Christmas songs about death - I mean, Coventry Carol is about children being murdered (the anti-abortion people should like that one). And O Come O Come Emmanuel mentions death, although it's about overcoming death, which is, you know... kind of the whole point of Christianity... (note to Maxwells...)

[albanuadh_1]

Oh, I know they go carolling but are they allowed to listen to Christmas music in the house. Somehow I feel that would be considered "fun."

[gardenvarietycitizen]

If they do it would be religious songs (plus possibly the purely non-Xmas winter songs) only, because they very much do NOT have anything to do with Santa.

[Dysfundamental]

The Maxwell Christmas playlist is probably "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "The Coventry Carol" and "What Child Is This?" and maybe "Adam Lay Ybounden".

Oh, and "I Wonder as I Wander", which has "die" right in the second line!

[docmom]

The Maxwell Christmas playlist is probably "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "The Coventry Carol" and "What Child Is This?" and maybe "Adam Lay Ybounden".

Maybe "Let all mortal flesh keep silence"?

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Maybe "Let all mortal flesh keep silence"?

That'd be an awesome song for a carolling troupe dressed as zombies to sing!

[Justme]

Stevie once posted, his "children" don't READ they WRITE! I'm sure it's the same with music. They don't LISTEN, they PLAY!

[Savoring Samsara]

Maybe "Let all mortal flesh keep silence"?

It must say something about me, or at least my taste in music, that this sounds like the ideal Christmas carol playlist to me. Beautiful delicious minor keys!

[jaynie]

It must say something about me, or at least my taste in music, that this sounds like the ideal Christmas carol playlist to me. Beautiful delicious minor keys!

Me too. A friend of mine, having listened to my Christmas playlist, complained that I don't understand happiness. But I'll take the corpus Christi carol over Santa baby any day of the week!:grin:

[Trynn]

My cousin and I were going through an old JW hymnal, one I'm sure they don't use anymore. It's not Christmas, but one of the songs in there was literally about people going to hell and dying. We were like, what?!

I'm sure the Maxwells would LOVE the christmas shoes song, what's it called, the one where the kid wants to buy his mommy a pair of shoes because it's christmas eve and she might meet Jesus tonight?

That song always bugged the crap out of me, partly because as an Adventist I believed it to be theologically incorrect, and partly for other reasons I can't put into words.

[Handmaiden of Dog]

I had a little extra time on my hands so I read this entire thread. The Maxwells are a new family to me even though I have heard about Sarah Maxwell in passing many times due to her age ("what happens to SAHD if they don't meet Prince Charming?") What an awful human being Steve is. Why didn't he just turn hermit and go live in a mud hut somewhere? But no, he has to suck the joy out of everyone's life. I am grateful that only his family has to suffer and not an entire cult following.

It strikes me that they live like Puritans in the 17th century: few books, few pleasures, little news, drab clothing, obsessing over sin and death, but at least the Puritans had entire towns to talk to and fellowship with. It is criminal to eschew all of the modern trappings and tools. Today even if you don't have money to buy books or travel or go to University you can still enjoy all of that via the internet. Why is that so wrong? Steve should just do everyone a favor and go meet his maker now. I wonder what would happen to his family then? Would one of the sons step up to bat and fill his father's ultra-controlling shoes?

[ILoveJellybeans]

I had a little extra time on my hands so I read this entire thread. The Maxwells are a new family to me even though I have heard about Sarah Maxwell in passing many times due to her age ("what happens to SAHD if they don't meet Prince Charming?") What an awful human being Steve is. Why didn't he just turn hermit and go live in a mud hut somewhere? But no, he has to suck the joy out of everyone's life. I am grateful that only his family has to suffer and not an entire cult following.

It strikes me that they live like Puritans in the 17th century: few books, few pleasures, little news, drab clothing, obsessing over sin and death, but at least the Puritans had entire towns to talk to and fellowship with. It is criminal to eschew all of the modern trappings and tools. Today even if you don't have money to buy books or travel or go to University you can still enjoy all of that via the internet. Why is that so wrong? Steve should just do everyone a favor and go meet his maker now. I wonder what would happen to his family then? Would one of the sons step up to bat and fill his father's ultra-controlling shoes?

Without Steve I think they would all just fall apart. They don't know what freedom is. None of them have the social skills necessary to make it in the real world, or know how to spend their time without having their day obsessively scheduled. None of them could ever make it on their own as they are too dependant on Steve and his schedules. Not having that would terrify them. They just wouldn't know what to do, and will probably just keep on with that same daily schedule as if Steve was here forever. They would have to rely on the married sons, although I think they would keep on doing their stuff, like Sarah still making Moody books (I think they are the children she knows she probably wont ever have, and also are her way of working out real life, as it all seems so familiar to her own life), and carrying on their little projects. I don't think any of the others will court after Steve dies, as how would they know what Steve wants them to do. They probably wont dare try anything new or go anywhere, as they wouldn't know whether Steve approves.

[salex]

Most of the non-speciality grocery stores near me have an "International Foods" aisle. We've got a significant Central and South American population in my area so the "Mexican" foods (and I put that in quotes because it's the standard Americanized Mexican fare) are usually separate from the other Latin American foods. One thing I love about living where I do is that regardless of what ethnic delicacy you want to cook, it's a rare occasion when you CAN'T find a particular ingredient. Branch out from those damned burritos, Maxwells! There's a world of awesome cuisines out there! Try it! So says Sparkles who made chana masala and naan yesterday, has a crock of kimchi fermenting on the kitchen counter and will be making arepas tomorrow.

Try as I might, I just can't understand this family and their way of thinking. And I just can't quit them.

Given that they live a mere 30 miles from Kansas City, it is probable they can get any ingredient needed for any kind of cooking, IF they are willing to try the different stores. I suspect it is either habit or price that keeps them cooking the same dishes.

[thoughtful]

Without Steve I think they would all just fall apart. They don't know what freedom is. None of them have the social skills necessary to make it in the real world, or know how to spend their time without having their day obsessively scheduled. None of them could ever make it on their own as they are too dependant on Steve and his schedules. Not having that would terrify them. They just wouldn't know what to do, and will probably just keep on with that same daily schedule as if Steve was here forever. They would have to rely on the married sons, although I think they would keep on doing their stuff, like Sarah still making Moody books (I think they are the children she knows she probably wont ever have, and also are her way of working out real life, as it all seems so familiar to her own life), and carrying on their little projects. I don't think any of the others will court after Steve dies, as how would they know what Steve wants them to do. They probably wont dare try anything new or go anywhere, as they wouldn't know whether Steve approves.

Steve probably shows them this TZ episode daily, and is planning to leave a computer to tell them what God wants them to do, for the rest of their lives, based on the Managers of Their Crap books.

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