Around this time of year people start asking me, do Quakers celebrate Christmas?
Technically, no, we do not. At least, usually not in Worship or our Meeting Houses.
At most Quaker Meetings, there are no Christmas trees or lights or banners, nor do we have any special service. We celebrate Christmas by worshiping in Silence, as we do every Sunday of the year. This is all in keeping with Friends’ practice. Ever since Quakerism first arose in 17th -century England, Quakers have believed that every day is holy, so there is no reason to celebrate particular holy days such as Christmas and Easter.
While modern-day Quakers may celebrate Christmas at home, Friends tend to dislike the commercialism of Christmas and often keep their holiday moderate. Given that, it can all feel a bit austere, especially to the children. And many of us miss the music of the season many churches enjoy.
Over the years, Reno Friends – thinking of the kids – has occasionally had a Christmas party at someone’s house. In the first year of the pandemic, we gathered on Zoom, wearing silly Christmas hats (antlers and elves’ hats were popular), while sharing stories of Christmases past. We even sang a few carols, though the technology worked poorly for that. Still, it felt important to try to gather in the spirit of the season.
The next year of the pandemic, we were eager to get together if we could find a safe way to do it, as we were still only holding Silent Worship online. So we organized a Christmas Cookie Exchange – which we held mostly outside in the garden of our Meeting House. Everyone brought enough cookies to share and a container to take home their selections. We put the cookies on a table inside the Meeting House, and only let one family or person in at a time (keeping windows and doors open.) Everyone else stood around in the garden chatting, bundled up against the cold but happy to be with each other again.
The Christmas Cookie Exchange was a big hit, and now it’s something of a tradition for Reno Friends. Fortunately, we don’t need to huddle out in the cold anymore; this year we will host the Christmas Cookie Exchange as part of our December potluck, enjoying our gathering in the warmth of the Meeting House.
When it comes to holidays and celebrations, instead of avoiding them like Early Friends, modern-day Quakers tend to focus on the spiritual intention behind how we live. If everyday is holy, let us make Christmas a holy and intentional time of gathering friends and family, sharing traditional foods, bringing a little nature inside our homes to connect us to the ancient ways of celebrating the seasons, and making an effort to delight the children in our midst. In my house, we will cut greens and strew them about, light candles, sing carols around the piano, and douse a plum pudding with flaming brandy. It’s a hit every time.
By Wendy Swallow, Blog Editor, Reno Friends Meeting
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of Reno Friends Meeting