Having been raised Jewish, the holiday season had always been a bit of a mixed bag for me growing up. Sure, we had Chanukah, latkes, dreidels, and gifts, but let’s be honest. Christmas blows Chanukah out of the water. Trees, lights, stockings, gifts, songs, cookies, a kick-ass meal, booze, and more gifts. What’s not to like? Oh, there is that whole Jesus thing and the Church thing, but let’s ignore that for a minute.
Growing up, for whatever reason, I resented Christmas. Because it represented something that we didn’t believe in, I felt like it was wrong to do anything associated with it. Singing Christmas Carols? Decorating a tree? Hey, I shouldn’t be doing this! I don’t believe in Jesus! Rudolph on TV? That’s not for me. On and on and on, everything about this season was not for me. A cashier in a store wishes us a Merry Christmas? But we don’t celebrate Christmas. I felt excluded and felt like I was missing out. This stuff looks like fun, right? Some of my earliest memories were of me going to the house of our older neighbor across the street every day so I could turn the lights of her Christmas tree on. I loved it, but it was never anything I could have in my own house. Jews don’t have Christmas trees.
Fast forward 25 years. Having married into a Christmas-celebrating family, my Christmas dreams had finally come true. I got to go buy and decorate my own Christmas tree (topped with a Star if David tree-topper), I got my own stocking, I got to admit that yes, I do enjoy Christmas music, I got to eat Christmas dinner, and I got lots and lots of gifts. It didn’t have to be a religious event, and let’s be honest. these days, very few people are thinking about the real meaning of the holiday. It’s more about family traditions and celebrations. Just like my family has always invited non-Jewish friends to our holiday festivities, it doesn’t have to be a religious experience, and you don’t have to believe in the religious aspects of it to enjoy and appreciate it.
I still hate the malls around the holidays, I still hate being assaulted with Christmas decorations starting in October, I still hate obscenely tacky Christmas decorations on people’s houses and yards, I still hate the ridiculous consumerism that goes on, but I think that feeling is shared by lots of Christmas lovers. Like it or not, Christmas is an American tradition. Just like the 4th of July or Thanksgiving, it’s a holiday that brings people together to celebrate and eat and drink and eat some more. We still celebrate Chanukah, we still light the candles and make latkes, and we still celebrate Jewish Christmas on December 26 (movies and Chinese food), but on December 25, you know where to find me: up to my elbows in wrapping paper, cookies, and Christmas ham, and loving every minute of it. Merry Chrismukkah everybody!