Feast for the Ox & Ass
Animal Christmas
Celebrating Beloved Pets and the Gentle Beasts of Christmas Yore
About Feast for the Ox & Ass
Ox & Ass Day salutes the creatures who make our lives warmer and furrier, and sometimes smellier, while tipping a hat to the humble beasts that stood in for heating lamps at the Nativity. Pets are never background extras; they’re part of the Christmas cast, from knocking ornaments off the tree to photobombing family portraits in ugly sweaters. Inspired by the ox and ass of manger fame, icons of humility and the occasional side-eye, this day celebrates both the animals who share our homes and the beasts who wander through Christmas lore. So go ahead: spoil your pets with treats, read up on the cows, donkeys, and sheep of holiday legend, and if you must, stick a festive bow on your dog. (Consent recommended.)
Ways to observe
(A) Low effort
Take a festive photo of your pet by the Christmas tree or in front of a holiday backdrop, then share it with friends and family.
(B) Recommended
Bake (or buy) special Christmas treats for your pets. While they’re enjoying their feast, read a Nativity story aloud, making special note of the ox and ass as symbols of patience and quiet devotion.
(C) High effort
Host a Christmas Pet Parade in your neighborhood, where pets can be dressed in Nativity-themed costumes. Oxen, donkeys, camels, or even wise men! Include a contest for the best-dressed animal, with holiday-themed prizes.
Inspiration
Our dog, Teller, a Portuguese Water Dog of no particular religious conviction, goes by many names in our household, but the most common is Sourpatch. She adores her family but appears to actively despise all other living creatures, especially a local mongrel named Ethan. At this point, we’ve grown so fond of her loyal snarling that we’ve started telling stories about Sourpatch, Santa’s Least Favored Reindeer. Her job, as we imagine it, is to remind Santa that not everyone deserves presents. Some kids should get coal. And some neighborhood dogs should be barked out of town.
There’s something deeply satisfying about letting pets share in the rituals of Christmas. They curl up by the fire, snooze under the tree, and photobomb the family card. (Pro tip: Keep candy canes on high branches.) Animals have been part of the story from the very beginning. The ox and ass, staples of the Nativity scene, appear in early Christian texts as humble witnesses to Christ’s first appearance. According to the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, they breathed warmth onto the infant Jesus, a small act of devotion rendered mythic through repetition. Medieval carols like “The Friendly Beasts” gave them voices; grade-school pageants gave them character. Over time, they came to represent a kind of unconditional, loving presence that pets often embody without trying.
Adornments
Watch
Babe (1995)
A charming family film about a pig who aspires to herd sheep. Its whimsical portrayal of barnyard friends carries a gentle message of compassion for all creatures.
Listen
The Friendly Beasts (Traditional)
A traditional carol dating back to 12th-century France, in which each animal in the stable sings of the gift it gave to the Christ Child. With verses for the donkey, cow, sheep, and dove, this gentle song honors the humble creatures present at the Nativity.
Read
Eddi’s Service (Poem) by Rudyard Kipling
A narrative poem set on a stormy Christmas Eve in 7th-century England. When no one attends his midnight Mass, Eddi, a humble priest, continues the service for two unexpected congregants: a donkey and an ox who wander into the chapel for shelter.
Christmas Day in the Morning (Short Story) by Pearl S. Buck
A farm boy rises early on Christmas morning to do the barn chores before his father wakes, offering his labor as a surprise gift of love. Set in a quiet pre-dawn stable, the story emphasizes simple devotion and unspoken affection.
Animal Gospel by Andrew Linzey
Linzey argues that the Christian Gospel demands a radical rethinking of humanity’s relationship with animals, viewing their mistreatment as both a moral and theological failure.
The Oxen (Poem) by Thomas Hardy
A short 1915 poem reflecting on an old folk belief that, at midnight on Christmas Eve, the oxen kneel in silent reverence. Hardy’s speaker, now older and doubtful, still yearns to believe the story from his childhood.