How Do The Amish Celebrate Christmas? (Customs & Traditions)
The Amish do celebrate Christmas – but not in all the same ways that non-Amish do. December 25th and the days leading up to it are important ones in Amish communities. In fact, some Amish even celebrate Christmas more than once! (more on that below).
- How do Amish celebrate Christmas?
- Amish Christmas traditions
- Amish and Christmas decorations
- Amish and Santa Claus?
- Amish Christmas Dinner
- Do Amish give Christmas gifts?
- Old Christmas: January 6th
- Other Amish holidays
In this article we’ll take a look at how Amish Christmas is similar – and different to – the Christmas celebrations and observances of non-Amish.
Do Amish give gifts and have Christmas dinner? Do they put up Christmas trees and lights? What about Santa Claus? Read on or jump to a section to learn more.
How do Amish people celebrate Christmas?
As a Christian community, Christmas as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is one of the most important holidays in the Amish calendar.
Amish people do observe Christmas in a religious sense. But they also take part in many of the same secular holiday traditions that non-Amish people do. Let’s have a look at some of those traditions now.
Amish Christmas Traditions
Some of the most common Christmas-season Amish holiday traditions include:
Christmas caroling
One old-fashioned tradition Amish still follow (once common with non-Amish but no longer) is that of singing Christmas carols. An extended family may walk from home-to-home, stopping in at fellow church members’ homes.
When I went along with Amish friends during a recent Christmas season, we sang several songs at each home, including both secular and more religious songs, such as “Joy to the World” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. We stopped at both Amish and non-Amish neighbors’ homes.
Children’s school program
The children’s Christmas program is a highlight of the year, held in many if not most Amish communities. Each Amish school will put on a program consisting of songs and skits revolving around the Christmas season.
Children may re-enact the Nativity, playing the parts of Mary and Joseph and the Three Wise Men. Parents attend the program, and there will be a gift exchange, candy, and gifts for the teachers. It is a special day which the children get excited for each year.
Christmas cards
The tradition of exchanging Christmas cards is alive and well among the Amish. This is common in both progressive and conservative Amish communities Some Christmas cards may be store-bought, others handmade.
You can see examples of some Amish Christmas cards here. The handmade card below was sent to a friend of mine by an Amish friend. Cards will typically include Bible verses or reminders of the religious basis for the Christmas season.
Church service
Like non-Amish Christians, Amish do attend church during the Christmas season. But due to the church schedule of the Amish (held once every two weeks), they won’t necessarily attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Amish in some communities do have a tradition of holding church service.
Second Christmas
Amish people in some communities will also observe “second Christmas“, which is the day following Christmas (December 26th). This would also be a day of no work, rest, and visiting friends and relatives. Not to be confused with “Old Christmas” (more on that tradition below).
Amish people exchange gifts, though not to the same lavish degree as is nowadays typical among many Americans. We’ll have a closer look at Amish gift-giving in a minute. For more on this topic from an Amish church member, you can also check our article on how Amish celebrate Christmas.
Amish and Christmas decorations
The ways Amish decorate for Christmas can vary. Different Amish groups do things differently.
Do the Amish have Christmas trees?
Amish as a rule do not put up Christmas trees. However, they may decorate their doors with Christmas wreaths.
Some lay out decorative Christmas tree cuttings on a kitchen table, or even display strings of battery-powered lights, in more progressive Amish homes. Christmas trees are associated with material representations of Christmas, which is one reason why Amish reject them.
Other Christmas decor
Some Amish people will also decorate their homes with seasonal flowers. Poinsettias are particularly popular.
Another common tradition is to string Christmas cards up on a line in the home. Amish families may also stick them up on a pantry door or on the wall as a nice reminder of holiday wishes from family and friends.
Some Amish families may display wreaths on their front doors, candles, or even snowman figures and stockings, as you can see in the photo below from an Amish home in Indiana.
Amish and Santa Claus?
You might be wondering about the Amish and Santa Claus. In short, Santa is not a thing with the Amish. They do not teach their small children the Santa Claus story. Why not?
Simply put, as a grounded, Christian people, the Amish generally do not encourage belief in supernatural or imaginary ideas like Santa or the Tooth Fairy. They give gifts to their children but they are given directly from parents, not through the intermediary of Santa.
Amish Christmas Dinner
You’re probably not surprised to learn that Amish put on hearty Christmas dinners. These are eaten with family, friends, and even co-workers and employees.
Types of food
What foods do Amish eat for Christmas dinner? Generally, these are similar to the traditional foods eaten by non-Amish Americans.
They will often include turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, pot roast, cranberry, cooked vegetables like green beans, casserole, as well as some Pennsylvania Dutch staples like butter noodles and sauerkraut.
Desserts of course are an important part of Amish meals, and Christmas dinner is no different. Pies, Christmas cookies, cake, and ice cream are all favorites.
More than one dinner
If you’re Amish, you can expect to be a part of more than one Christmas dinner. Why? Well the reason is obvious when you think about Amish families. They’re big!
You might have dinner with your own nuclear family, and on another day attend a Christmas dinner at a sibling’s home, or a married child’s home.
And no surprise, these gatherings can be large. This excerpt from the book The Amish gives an idea of how large:
Extended families typically gather for a day of eating and visiting during the Christmas season. With families spread across many states, some travel long distances for the gathering.
An Iowa grandmother explained that her family had held their family Christmas celebration at her daughter’s house in Wisconsin on Thanksgiving.
“Our children and grandchildren left Iowa in two vans to go to Wisconsin. Others came there by train…All 41 slept in the same house. With 22 grandchildren under 10, there is no dull moment.” (pages 238-239)
Another Christmas dinner event is the employee dinner. Amish owners of companies such as construction firms invite their employees over for a Christmas feast.
The company owner’s family and other volunteers will prepare and serve the food, act as waiters and clean up. I had the pleasure of being a dishwasher at such a dinner recently. I also of course, got to enjoy all the delicious food.
With all the opportunities for Christmas dinner get togethers, you may end up eating at a half-dozen or more such dinners over the Christmas season!
Do Amish people exchange Christmas gifts?
Like other Americans, the Amish do exchange Christmas gifts. They tend to fall in one of a few categories.
Practical gifts
These types of gifts include items that might be useful for a teenage son or a daughter in the workplace (tools for a son on a carpentry crew, for example). They also might be something for the child’s hobbies, such as hunting equipment or sewing supplies.
Homemade gifts
Since Amish have large families, they may also rely to some degree on giving homemade gifts. This is a more economical way of gift-giving which also demonstrates love and care.
For example, one Amish friend of mine made clothing racks for his sons out of some wood he already had available. You can also see examples of typical gifts Amish give each other – and the gifts some Amish friends gave me one Christmas – in the video below.
On the whole, Amish Christmas gifts tend to be useful items – often necessities like a new pair of mud boots or a much-desired kitchen item. Smaller children will get toys.
They may receive Bible story books or books on nature or other topics of interest. Amish Christmas gift-giving reflects their overall practical nature. New shoes or clothing might not seem like the most exciting Christmas present, but Amish appreciate these gifts.
“Fun” gifts
That said, Amish may also give each other fun gifts or “gag” gifts. For example on a recent Christmas, one Amish father and husband received a wall sign that read “An Old Bear lives here with his Sweet Honey”. Not everything has to be strictly practical, and Amish enjoy giving gifts in the “fun” category as well.
John Hostetler on Amish gift-giving
To add one more perspective, Amish-raised scholar John Hostetler wrote about traditions of Amish gift-giving in his book Amish Society. Here’s an excerpt from another post where I discussed that:
Amish-raised scholar John Hostetler shares in Amish Society that some Amish children may be “exposed to such customs [ie, Santa and the Christmas tree] if they attend public school, and some Amish parents come to the annual parochial school Christmas program. Some Amish have adopted the practice of drawing names among themselves for buying presents.”
Hostetler, who grew up in Iowa and Pennsylvania, explains that “on Christmas Eve in my home, each child set a dish at his place at the table. Our parents filled the dishes with many kinds of candy and nuts after we were asleep.”
Hostetler notes that “children who want a specific toy usually get it, but toys are generally simple and inexpensive.”
From my own personal experience, while selling books in Amish communities, I can remember a number of instances when sets of books were tucked away by forward-looking parents as a Christmas surprise for the children.
Hostetler goes on to explain that “married couples may buy surprises for each other, usually something they need, such as a new bed or a chair. Girls may receive decorative dishes from their parents. Gifts are frequently left on display in the sitting room until after New Year’s Day.”
On the matter of giving gifts to Amish people, I often get questions on what types of gift are suitable. The non-Amish giver is often concerned about potentially offending the receiver by a poorly-chosen gift.
As a rule, and as Hostetler’s description above indicates, gifts that have some function will likely be better-received by Amish than those that don’t. Simple toys for children are generally fine as well, and Amish-run dry goods shops often have an array of games and other basic toys for children.
There is, as usual, variety among the Amish. My mother usually likes to send baked goods along with me when I travel to visit friends in Pennsylvania (baked goods, and most consumables for that matter, will never lead you astray). I know she has given small games, and if I recall, even a book or two for the younger children.
Once, she wished to send a bottle of North Carolina wine along, which I vetoed as I could not recall whether wine was consumed in the family or not.
As it turned out, it probably would have been a safe bet, as she later helpfully reminded me that we had even been offered some homemade wine by the family head himself on one visit. (On that matter, here is more on the Amish and alcohol).
The Amish & Old Christmas: January 6th
Some Amish celebrate a second Christmas – that of “Old Christmas”. What is the Amish tradition of Old Christmas? Where does it come from, and what do the Amish do on this day?
Origin of Old Christmas
Old Christmas stems from a decision by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to remove roughly 10 days from the Julian Calendar. This moved Christmas from January 6th to December 25th in the Gregorian Calendar.
The Amish have carried a number of Old World traditions with them. And for some Amish (though not all), Old Christmas is still observed. And Old Christmas is not a strictly Amish tradition. Other cultures and communities observe it, including Scot-Irish communities of Appalachia, as well as Christians in Ireland.
It should be noted that January 6th is also the day of the Epiphany, commemorating the visit of the Magi (aka Three Kings or Three Wise Men) to the baby Jesus, which is not the same thing – though they fall on the same day.
Amish traditions on Old Christmas
For those Amish who observe Old Christmas, the day of January 6th is spent as a day off work. Like with many other Amish holidays, the day may be spent visiting family and friends. It is a day of rest.
Young people and children may take off to play ice hockey at a local frozen pond. Businesses will be closed just as they are on Sundays or other holidays.
Not all Amish celebrate Old Christmas, however. Amish in Lancaster County, PA are among those who do not, while Amish in Holmes County, Ohio do observe the holiday.
Other Amish holidays
Besides Christmas, Amish celebrate many other holidays. Some of these are well-known for all Americans. Others are more obscure or specific to the Amish.
Easter & other Christian Holidays
Amish celebrate other holidays like Easter and other well-known Christian holidays, like Good Friday. Amish Easter traditions are similar in some ways to those of non-Amish people, including egg-dyeing for example. Amish church holidays often mean fasting for at least part of the day.
Secular holidays
What about the Amish and secular holidays like Independence Day, Labor Day or Memorial Day? This can vary by community, but especially in more progressive areas, Amish will participate to various degrees in these holidays.
For example, Amish families will go to watch fireworks displays on July 4th in some places. They may still work on those days, especially if they work for an Amish employer (in turn, they will get days off for more specific Amish church holidays).
Amish people who own, or are involved in, businesses dealing with the non-Amish public may need to adapt their schedules accordingly.
New Year’s Day is also a holiday for Amish, which they spend visiting, playing games, and having a special brunch or other meal.
Lesser-known Amish holidays
Finally, there are a group of more obscure holidays celebrated by Amish people. These are lesser-known among the public. Some may be specific mainly to the Amish, like St. Michael’s Day, or church fast day, which happens during the twice-yearly Communion period.
Others, such as Ascension Day, may be observed in some Christian denominations, though not among the general public. Read more on these lesser-known Amish holidays.
Christmas is an important holiday for Amish
Christmas is a special time of year for the Amish just like it is for non-Amish people. Amish make efforts to remember the religious reasons behind Christmas. This is reflected in their church services, song, school programs, Christmas cards, and in other ways.
They appreciate the family time together, and material and secular aspects of the season (like gift-giving and Christmas decor), but try to keep their focus on the birth of Jesus Christ as the reason for the Christmas holiday.
