Amish Thanksgiving

If you know anything about the Amish, you've learned that they have their own set of holidays.

You won't find Christmas trees or colored lights flashing on an Amish farm.

Many Amish families choose to celebrate "Old Christmas" on January 6th instead of modern America's December 25th.
It's unlikely that you'd see anyone Amish at a 4th-of-July parade or trick-or-treating at Halloween. Instead, Ascension Day and Good Friday are major Amish holidays, something the rest of us Americans almost overlook.

When Celebrate Lit Publishing asked if I'd be interested in writing an Amish Thanksgiving short story for a collection, I began to wonder what Amish do on Thanksgiving.

 I asked a number of Amish and formerly Amish friends how they celebrate Thanksgiving and found that, for the most part, they take time to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal with family. It turns out, this is one American holiday the Amish share with the rest of us. Minus- the after-the-meal football and setting up of a Christmas tree.
Amish families might not spend time watching Christmas movies or football during the "Holiday Season" but they love a good sale as much as anyone! You may notice a few Amish shoppers in an aisle near you this Friday.

Here are a few lines from Love's Thankful Heart  a book with three Amish Thanksgiving stories.

On sale now. .99 cents for an eBook copy.

Thomas Nye's story: Thanksgiving Frolic

Finally, Esther called everyone to the table for the late afternoon meal. The whole family chatted and laughed as they gathered around, squeezing together closely in an effort to fit every member in. When they were finally seated, the talking hushed until the room became filled with silence. Even the smallest children sensed that it was time for prayer.

Instead of saying let's pray, as he usually did, Joe cleared his voice and began to speak. "You know, this accident of mine has proven to be one of the best things that ever happened to me." A tear rolled down his cheek as he spoke. "I lost track of what is most important in life." He took a moment to compose himself, then continued. "At first, I was actually angry with God. I thought, why would God allow me to suffer an injury that will keep me from being a good steward of the possessions He has entrusted to me? I didn't understand that I was failing to be a good steward of something more important than possessions. I was failing to be a good steward of the relationships God has given me..."

 Everyone around the table sniffled, and Esther passed around napkins for them to wipe their eyes and blow their noses. The children watched in amazement at the unusual display of emotion. 

 I

Amazon Link

click here: Love's Thankful Heart

Amish Harness Shop

 There are at least three Amish harness shops within 15 miles of my home.
I've done business with all three and enjoy stopping in at each of them as often as possible.
This picture (on the left) I snapped a few weeks ago. The harness maker is leading his horse away from a buggy. That's my hand in the foreground.
Everyone I know calls this harness maker, Davey Dutch. Mennonites and Amish are big on nicknames, partly because so many people have the same name

 Our little dog, Wesley, keeps breaking those little nylon collars we buy at Walmart, so I used an old piece of horse harness as a collar.

My wife said that my old harness part looked nasty and I should stop in at my Amish friend's shop and have him make a new one.
I took her advice.
Davey Dutch spent 15-20 minutes cutting a piece of leather, punching holes and crimping the ends. I stood and watched, listening to a crackling fire in his wood-burning stove.

When he finished his work, Davey handed me the new collar and said, "That must be a small dog you have."
The little collar did seem tiny.
He headed to the cash register and said, "I'll call that scrap leather. You can give me $2.00.

Granddaughter Lyla and Wesley

Amish harness shops are amazing!

Who wouldn't rather have a custom Amish-made leather collar than an el-cheapo nylon one that costs 4times more?