Really looking forward to Christmas since I genuinely enjoy the cozy vibe that goes along with it. I think the correct buzzword is “hygge” (right @Cristo?)
But I am slightly dreading the conversation with our older daughter that we’re not having a Christmas tree. She’s old enough now to see things like Peppa Pig Christmas or Bluey Christmas and it’s tough to be like “hey kid, I know you see all those things but we can’t really participate in it but have some chicken lo mein and let’s watch Die Hard.”
Jews having Christmas trees is extremely contentious within the Jewish community.
For a lot of people, especially those of a certain age, they represent assimilation into larger American Christian culture and a conscious desire to abandon the practice of Judaism or desire to participate in Jewish spaces in favor of “fitting in.” One day you’re putting up a Christmas tree, the next day you’re eating lunch meat on white bread with mayo and the next day your kids are being raised as “nothing” and that’s how the Jewish community dies out.
On the other hand I know some families, especially folks who grew up or lived in the USSR who had Christmas trees and it was just not a big deal.
You do see depictions in popular media of “secular” or “cultural” Jews like Ross and Monica having a tree. I think the OC popularized the term “Chrismukkah” as a way to merge Christmas and Hannukah for the many, many families in the USA who have one Jewish and one non-Jewish parent. But the reality is that it’s not a true merger, it’s an attempt to rebrand Hannukah as a “Jewish Christmas” even if it’s well-meaning and/or driven by Capitalist greed.
Hannukah is a minor holiday for us and was never the gift-giving bonanza it’s become. Yes, kid would get gelt but it was typically a small amount of money. Think like pocket change type stuff. The real gift-giving holiday is Purim (in the spring) and the real family get-together holiday outside of the High Holidays is Pesach (also in the spring).
Edit: I also forgot to mention that business of Christmas literally being about the birth of Jesus and that unpleasantness about Jews being accused of killing Jesus. It hasn’t always been a nice time to be in and around the Christian community for us.
It’s a Christmas movie. Thought everyone knew that.
I’ve always found it interesting that people of non-Christin faiths don’t like to be too close to Christmas. The way I see Christmas is kind of how I assume Americans see Thanksgiving, basically a cultural festival rather than a religious one.
Trees, snow, turkeys, reindeers and santa are a far cry from Jesus these days. Almost all the movies and songs are about those things rather than anything Christian. I know very few practising Christians and I think most of the UK identifies as having no religion but they do love a bit of Christmas. The number of Christians here could reach zero and Christmas would still be going strong. So basically it’s a fun festival loosely based on an origin story that most of us don’t believe in.
I guess if you are from a culture that already has another big holiday it celebrates then doing anything for Christmas too is probably pointless, but it’s interesting that Christmas is basically the holiday for Christians and atheists. I know lots of atheists and they’d certainly never dream of not having Christmas.
And actually, to go back to Friends. Although Ross and Monica liked Christmas, there was a whole episode where Ross was trying to teach his son all about Hanukkah. The One With The Holiday Armadillo. He refuses to get a Santa outfit because he wants to lead his son away from that idea.
Oh I’m familiar with that episode. (My sister went through a Friends phase)
I can’t possibly speak on behalf of all Jews, all American Jews or even all Baltimore-Metro area Jews but the whole Christmasfication of Hanukkah was something that was really sneered at in my community. (And rightly so imo)
Hanukkah Harry, Hanukkah Bushes, the most recent addition of Mensch on a Bench, those things were all looked at as a way to make Jewish kids feel like they weren’t celebrating Hanukkah, they were celebrating Jewish Christmas just like their Christian friends Jayden, Kelsey and Trey. A lot of it is also driven by companies that I think don’t quite understand that it’s kind of shitty to think that Jews need something to be Christmas. This article sums it up pretty well.
I remember getting into huge fights with Mere about it when we were first dating because (as some couples do) we talked about what our life might look like with children and I was real quick to be like “no Christmas tree, no stockings, no pictures with Santa and if they come home talking about that shit I’ll tell them he’s not real” and, understandably for someone who converted to Judaism as an adult, she got pretty upset because for her (like for probably a lot of people) Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus or God or miracles of the virgin birth and everything to do with presents, good memories of seeing a favorite cousin or Aunt Karen’s famous tuna casserole (she uses this special spice called “salt”).
It’s still a touchy subject because it can come off like I’m anti-Christmas when in reality I love Christmas. I love watching people celebrate with their family. I’m going to buy my in-laws Christmas presents. But yeah, it’s complicated.
Oh, and if you go dig up another Jewish person and ask them about this, you’ll get a completely different answer.
It’s because they can’t have a whole tree sticking out from the front of a shop somebody might knock it over, there seems to be half a tree for every 3 shops or so.
Btw the way I think they look like shit I’m sure everyone thinks they look marvellous.
Nah you’re right, that does look really silly I think.
Shopping centres here usually have a giant tree in the middle somewhere and then maybe a few little ones spread around. Individual shops sometimes have their own decorations, but not half trees, lol
