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Duggar Family’s Holiday Traditions: How the ‘Counting On’ Alums Celebrate Christmas

When it comes to the holidays, the Duggar family definitely has their own way of doing things.

The Duggars are fairly conservative and very religious, so it makes sense that their beliefs translate to them handling Christmas in a unique way. Their yuletide traditions are definitely a bit unusual.

For starters, the former stars of Counting On do not participate in the Santa tradition. Luckily, since they are all homeschooled, the kids never had to worry about accidentally breaking the news to their classmates.

Back in 2013, matriarch Michelle Duggar explained why they chose to not include the jolly man in a big red suit in their festivities. “Early in our marriage, Jim Bob [Duggar] and I really wanted to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. And so, we didn’t focus on Santa,” she shared in a TLC blog post at the time. “We kept that idea out of the whole celebration, we explained to the children who Santa was historically but focused on his good deeds and his ministering to children. We tell them about the true person of Saint Nicholas but don’t sensationalize him.”

That being said, as the parents’ older children have gone on to have families of their own, it seems their policy on Santa has relaxed a bit. During their Christmas celebration in 2021, Jana Duggar shared a video that showed someone dressed as ol’ Saint Nick entertaining party goers in the background.

In 2016, Jessa Duggar showed just how hectic Christmas morning in the Duggar household can get. “When they say ‘Be here at 7 a.m. for gifts!’ Gotta keep on schedule if we’re gonna make it to church on time … #RunningOnDuggarTime,” she captioned the Instagram clip that showed all the kids buzzing around.

“Yeah, looks like everybody’s ready for Christmas around this place,” the mom of four, who shares kids Spurgeon, Henry, Ivy and Fern with husband Ben Seewald, said. “All the lights are out. Ben and I are turning on all the lights. This is the way we roll.”

While the Duggars might have more brothers and sisters than the average person, their Christmas day is just like anyone else’s. (Er, sort of). They buy each other gifts and open them — it just might take a little longer than your own family.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the Duggar family’s holiday traditions.

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