If anyone knows how to keep the crass out of Christmas, it’s the Amish.
The Mennonite fundamentalists are known for their simple living, plain dress, and for shunning modern conveniences, such as electricity, telephones and automobiles. This means their Christmases tend to be free of shopping mall visits and flashy light displays.
With the emphasis on church and family, the Amish, as depicted by the Rocklands Entertainment stage show, An Amish Family Christmas, just might deliver the kind of meaningful, stripped-down Christmas that Linus was seeking in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The touring stage production that comes to Red Deer on Sunday is described as being heartwarming, and “like looking through the window of an Amish family home at Christmas.”
The premise is that Rachel and Jacob are expecting their first child at a time when many other changes have also occurred within the family. “What new surprises are in store for the King family? What heartache have Amos and Sadie been hiding?”
To find out, you’ll have to see the well-received show, which features the cast that appeared in the original production that premiered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the heart of Amish country.
Tickets to the 3 p.m. show at Red Deer’s Memorial Centre are $45.50 from Ticket Central.