One of the blessings of Mennonite life is living in the knowledge that one will never be too far from an admonition. “How empty the lives of non-Mennonites must feel,” I have often thought, when imagining what it must be like for people who do not experience rebukes on a regular basis. Oh, I know … More Admonitions for All Occasions I: Christmas
Of all the Christmas hymns in all the hymn books in all the Mennonite homes and Churches, our favorite by far is that one about a rose. (When I say “our,” I do not, of course mean to speak for all Mennonites. There will be one or two Mennonites who dispute this generalization. In fact, … More Lo, How a Menno is Singing
Mennonites naturally had a problem when people started talking about a War on Christmas. We love Christmas. We love the singing, the Christmas trees, the oddly inappropriate nativity figurines, the pfeffernusse. Sure, some of us are grumpy about aspects of the season. But still. We’re pretty big fans of Christmas. So, it’s a cause to … More Noncombatant Roles in the War on Christmas
When I married outside of the fold, I discovered something new: turns out a large segment of the Canadian population regularly watches movies around Christmas time. It was like a brand new world opened up in front of me. Despite my liberal upbringing, extensive movie-viewing had never been a major part of the holiday season … More A Mennonite Christmas Movie
People often ask me, “How do Mennonites celebrate New Year’s Eve”? Not really. I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that. But they should – because I have an answer waiting. Can you guess? That’s right. The answer is: It depends. Apparently, my ancestors in Russia celebrated New Year’s Eve along with their Ukrainian neighbours … More Quiz of the MennoYear
Post first published in December 2014, appearing here with minor edits. We arrived at my Oma’s house somewhere close to noon. She would greet us smilingly at the door, with scents of roasting turkey mingling with the baking ammonia from her cookies and the slightest hint of a gas leak that always met us at … More A Child’s Christmas in Mennoland Pt 2
Last Christmas, I wrote up this nostalgic piece as a sort of Menno-ified version of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales. It’s a bit sweeter than my typical fare. It didn’t snow every year at Christmas when I was a child growing up in the Mennonite enclave of Kitchener-Waterloo, but it snowed often enough … More A Child’s Christmas in Mennoland Pt. 1
Christmas began with singing in those days. I don’t mean Christmas Day; I mean the Christmas season. It began before the snow fell and before the decorations went up in the malls and department stores. Sometimes it even began before Halloween. It began on the day when the music teacher would take out some fresh … More A Cordial for the Choristers
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single or married woman in possession of a Mennonite upbringing must be in want of a baking project. I may have confused that quote with something else. Never mind. It’s still true. It’s true all year round but, at Christmastime, we go into overdrive. You might want … More How the Christmas Cookie Crumbles
At this time of year, Holiday Gift Guides start cropping up in newspapers and commercial websites. Having perused a number of those, I discovered that they are sadly insufficient for shoppers out there seeking gifts for the Mennonites on their lists. As always, I am here to help. Some of you might have wondered whether … More A Drunken Menno Holiday Gift Guide
