Popular views of medieval monasticism see it as highly disapproving of Christmas and a monastery as a cold dark place on Christmas Day. But documents for some orders tell us a different tale.
According to their Rule, for example, the military religious order of the Knights Templar had feast days (which included eating meat and drinking wine) on Christmas Day and the following three days, New Year's Day and January 5 (Epiphany). They were also expected to give alms to the poor on all days in the form of whatever bread was left over from their table.
Repeated papal bulls (decrees written by the Pope) allowed the Templars to hold one Mass per year even in an area under interdict (excommunication). The Fourth Lateran Council fixed the limit of being a good Christian at attending at least one Mass per year, so those associated with the Templars would never find themselves cut off from the Christian Church as "bad" Christians. If a group in a Templar convent's area were in dispute with a bishop who excommunicated them, they could appeal to the Templars. The Templars had an ace against episcopal grinches, as it were, since some unscrupulous bishops used the threat of interdict to extort money or cooperation from recalcitrant parishes. To maximize its effect and number of attending faithful, the Templars would most likely hold such a Mass during a major church celebration--like Easter or Christmas.
Surviving financial documents (called "cartulary" documents) further show that people who rented land from the Templars tended to pay those rents on certain days fixed in the contracts--Christmas being especially popular. Those tenants would generally pay with a combination of money and in kind. The Templars took in a fair amount of produce, clothing and animals (particularly horses and their tack) as rental payment.
Corroders (people who gave land to the Temple in exchange for a lifelong pension of money and/or food) and other dependents would come to the Templar convent on Christmas to celebrate the feast. Documents also show that lesser Templar brothers in places like northeastern Spain often came from near the houses where they served, with family and friends in the area who frequently visited them at the convent. Nor was all of this activity limited solely to Christians. In Spain, some of these renters, associates and dependents were Jews and Muslims who benefited from their connection to the military order. The Count-Kings of Catalonia and Aragon were close associates of the Temple and might also spend Christmas as one of the major Templar convents inside their realm.
As such, while there are many things we don't know about the Templars, we can ascertain that a Templar house on Christmas Day was probably a very busy place, with all manner of people traipsing in and out, from kings on down to slaves. The convent might be alive with people of all ages going to Mass, paying rent with everything from dinars to ducks, picking up alms or corrodies and even sharing in the feast with the brothers.
A lively Christmas indeed.
