Naomi’s Christmas (36 page)

“Mittens don’t matter,” Joshua declared. “We had to stop you. You can’t go away. We
love you.”

“Denke, Joshua.” She could sense Nathan’s tall figure behind the children, but she
would not look at him. “It means so much to know that you and Sadie love me.” And
it made it so hard to do what she must. “But—”

“We love you,” Nathan said, his voice deep. “Not just the kinder.” He held out a shopping
bag. “We don’t want you to leave. But if you must go, at least open our gifts before
you do so.”

Naomi took the bag, determined not to meet his eyes.
We love you,
he had said. But he didn’t mean…he didn’t mean he loved her the way he had loved
Ada.

Lovina came to her rescue, taking a package out of the shopping bag and holding the
bag for her. “Go on,” she said. “Open it.”

“That is from me and Joshua,” Sadie said. “We picked it out all by our own selves.”

Trying to smile, Naomi pulled the wrapping free. “Ach, a beautiful napkin holder from
you. Denke. I love it.” She bent, hugging the two children together, trying to hide
the tears that stung her eyes.

“Now mine, Naomi.” Nathan held out a small package.

She still couldn’t look into his face, but she couldn’t help
seeing his strong, gentle hand as he gave her the gift, and her breath caught.

“Denke,” she murmured. She pulled, and the wrapping came away, exposing a package
of labels—beautiful labels for her honey jars.

“I had them made for the honey that you will be harvesting next year,” he said. “It
is my prayer that you will be there with us then and for every year. We love you,
Naomi.”

He looked around, taking in all the watching, interested faces. Grasping her hands,
he drew her away from the others, into the small recess in front of the nearest shop.

As if a message had been received, her family started talking, their words forced
with the effort to be tactful.

Nathan turned his back to them, shielding her with his body so that no one else could
see her face. “I love you, Naomi.” His voice had roughened. “This is not about the
kinder. It is about us. I love you.”

She looked up, startled and half-afraid to see his face, her breath catching in her
throat.

“I love
you
, Naomi Esch.” Nathan’s eyes were so intent that it seemed she could see into his
very soul. “It wonders me that it took me so long to know the truth. I love you. I
want you to be my wife. I’ll spend as much time as you want proving that to you.”
He jerked his head toward the family, standing behind them on the sidewalk and trying
to pretend they weren’t listening. “I think everyone here knew it before I did. Please,
don’t say no to me again.”

Even without looking, she knew that every person watching them was wearing a smile.
This proposal would go down
in the history of the Pleasant Valley Amish, that was certain-sure.

She seemed to hear Bishop Mose’s wise counsel in her ears, but she didn’t really need
it. She knew her own heart.

“I love you, Nathan. I will marry you.”

The exhalation of breath around her almost made her laugh. And then Nathan put his
arms around her and pressed his cold cheek against hers. Suddenly Sadie was crunched
between them, and Joshua was trying to hug them both at the same time. Caught between
laughter and tears, Naomi tried to put her arms around all three of them while Isaiah
pounded Nathan’s back and Daad actually laughed out loud.

The rightness of it settled in her heart. She might not be Nathan’s first love, but
she would be his last.

N
aomi
looked around the crowded table at Daad’s house at the faces of those she loved.
Second Christmas, the day after Christmas, was the time to celebrate and feast with
family. Today her family had grown to include Nathan, the children, and his family.

Yesterday had been a quiet day, spent with just Nathan and the children in the house
that would soon be hers, as well. They had gone for supper with Nathan’s daad, his
sister, and her family. Today everyone was celebrating together—celebrating Christmas
as well as the joining of their two families.

Sadie, always irrepressible, went around the table to lean against Daad’s chair. When
he stopped what he was saying to look at her, she gave him an engaging smile.

“Are you going to be my grossdaadi, too?” she asked.

Naomi realized it was one of the few times when Daad was taken by surprise. He glanced
toward Nathan’s daad and then smiled at her. “Naomi will be your new mammi, ja? So
that
makes me your new grossdaadi. You can’t have too many grossdaadis, ain’t so?”

Sadie nodded. Tugging on his sleeve so that Daad leaned over, she kissed him on the
cheek.

Everyone was smiling, quiet for a moment. Joshua looked around the table. “Our family
got a lot bigger, didn’t it, Daadi?”

“Ja, it did, Joshua. That is a gut thing.”

Nathan reached under the cover of the table to clasp Naomi’s hand. His grip was warm
and sure and familiar, and her heart seemed to expand until it pressed against her
skin. She had never known it was possible to feel so much happiness.

Naomi glanced at Betty and smiled, thinking of all that had happened in the month
and a half since her birthday supper. Pain and pleasure, all mixed together—that was
what life was like. You mourned the passing of the old and embraced the new.

The future would surely hold many more endings and beginnings, but together she and
Nathan would cope with them. For now, looking at the joyful faces in the lamplight,
she could only cherish the love and family that Christmas had brought.

C
hristmas
is probably the most important celebration in the Amish year. In fact, it’s so important
that it is actually observed by some Amish three times: Christmas Day, Second Christmas,
and Old Christmas.

Christmas Day falls on December 25 for the Amish as it does for other Christians,
a day when the miracle of Christ’s birth is recognized with joy and awe. For such
an important event, one day isn’t enough, so while time spent with the immediate family
is the norm for Christmas Day, the day after Christmas, also called Second Christmas,
is a day to celebrate with the extended family. Visiting and sharing a meal can be
an extraordinary event when your extended family is as large as that of most Amish.
There might be more than fifty people there!

In many Amish groups, Old Christmas is still observed. Falling twelve days after December
25, January 6 is the celebration of Epiphany, the arrival of the wise men to visit
Jesus,
and in the Middle Ages this was the culmination of the Christmas feast. When the Gregorian
calendar replaced the older Julian calendar, the Pope set December 25 as the official
Christmas Day, but many Protestants kept to the old calendar, celebrating on January
6. The tradition has hung on among some Amish who celebrate on both days, with Old
Christmas usually being a more solemn and religious day.

Whether they recognize Old Christmas or not, an Amish holiday is one that most people
in contemporary society would consider very plain. Amish children don’t make lists
for Santa Claus or pore through catalogs searching for the latest in electronic gear.
Old Order Amish homes don’t have Christmas trees or elaborate light displays. The
Amish Christmas celebration, like all of Amish life, is focused on faith, home, and
family.

Holiday customs vary from one Amish community to another. More conservative communities
have low-key observances of the holidays. In Pennsylvania, the Amish are affected
by the strong Pennsylvania German tradition, and they are more likely to have the
customary Pennsylvania Dutch decorations.

Christmas decorations in a typical Pennsylvania Amish home may include lighting candles
and placing them in the windows to symbolize the birth of Jesus. Many homes now use
battery-powered candles that pose less threat of fire. Candles are sometimes also
used with greens on the mantelpiece and tables. If you visit a home with young children,
you’ll probably find doorways and windows draped with strings of paper stars, angels,
and sometimes popcorn. If the family receives
Christmas cards, they’ll probably be displayed so that they can be enjoyed time and
again throughout the season.

Christmas cards are sent in some church districts and not others. With so many Amish
working in jobs that bring them into daily contact with the Englisch, it has become
more common for Amish families to send cards to Englisch friends, and the cards are
almost always handmade.

The putz, or manger scene, is an important part of the Christmas decoration throughout
the Pennsylvania German communities. The putz developed very early in the church’s
history as a way of teaching children the story of Christ’s birth. If you visit Bethlehem
or Lititz in Pennsylvania during the holiday season, you can see some beautiful, elaborate
depictions, sometimes including other Biblical scenes in addition to the familiar
manger. The typical Amish putz is much simpler, using clay or wooden figures and possibly
a stable. Some families embellish the scene with natural materials like straw and
greenery. Using the putz, the Christmas story is told over and over throughout the
days leading up to Christmas.

The Moravian Star is a twenty-six-point star, first used in Germany in the 1800s.
The Moravian community that settled in Lititz has preserved the tradition of hanging
the multi-pointed star, and many Amish homes also include the Moravian Star in their
decorations as representing the Star of Bethlehem.

School celebrations are an important part of the Christmas season in most Amish areas.
The children begin preparing their parts a month ahead, but their teachers have probably
been busy since last year’s program in collecting materials to use!
The program, presented before as many family and friends as can cram into the one-room
schoolhouse, typically includes readings of prose and poetry, the acting out of skits,
and the singing of Christmas carols. Every child participates, and parents hold their
breath until their little scholar gets through his or her piece. Teachers sometimes
exchange skits and poems with each other, building up a collection so that each year
they can provide something new to the audience, which has probably seen countless
Christmas programs over the years. The theme of every poem and skit is that of gratitude
for the gift of Christ and of the proper response of humility and love. This may be
the only time when an Amish child “performs” in any way, but the audience is always
uncritical and enthusiastic.

Gift-giving is part of the Amish Christmas celebration, but it bears little resemblance
to the avalanche of gifts common to a typical American household. The presents are
often handmade and generally something that is useful. Younger children typically
receive one toy from their parents, while other gifts might be handmade clothing,
cloth dolls, or wooden toys. An older girl might welcome something for her future
home, while tools are popular gifts for older boys. The Amish school often has a gift
exchange among the children, and usually the children take great pleasure in making
a gift for the teacher.

The Amish home will probably be filled with the aroma of cookie-baking and candy-making
for weeks before the holiday. While you can usually find home-baked cookies on any
day, the holidays call for something special, and Amish cooks preserve family recipes
for the cookies and treats, passing them on from mother to daughter. Most Pennsylvania
Dutch
are known for the quality and variety of their Christmas cookies, and you’ll find
some traditional ones from my family in the recipe section. Enjoy!

In addition to celebrating with immediate and extended families, most Amish adults
have various groups that plan Christmas lunches and suppers. In fact, there are so
many of these that they might still be going on in February! Groups of cousins, people
who work together, girls who went through rumspringa at the same time—all of these
and more may share a special Christmas treat together.

But the focus of the Amish Christmas celebration, as of all Amish life, is the family.
Gathered around a groaning table spread with roast chicken, all the trimmings, and
an endless array of breads, cakes, cookies, and homemade candy, the family celebrates
Christmas together with humility and gratitude to God for His amazing gift.