Can Jews Have A Merry Christmas?

Posted on 12/05/2016 by Rivkah Lambert Adler in Holidays

When my oldest daughter was about 3 or 4, she started noticing the sparkly Christmas decorations. One December day, we were shopping in a Big Box store and there, at child’s eye-level, was a singing, dancing Santa doll on display.

I had an existential parenting moment just then.

Do I divert her attention? Do I tell her firmly that such a toy is not for us? Do I buy it, because it’s shiny and fun?

Okay, let’s be real. The third option was never an option.

Here’s what I did.

That night, I made up a game called “What’s the Jewish holiday?” I explained to her that the Santa-shaking-his-hips-and-singing-Jingle-Bells doll was for people who celebrate Christmas and that, as Jews, we have lots of our own holidays. And then I would play a round of “What’s the Jewish holiday?”

What’s the Jewish holiday where we eat apples and honey and other sweet things?
What’s the Jewish holiday where we stay up all night and learn Torah?
What’s the Jewish holiday where we use special dishes?
What’s the Jewish holiday where we dress in costumes?
What’s the Jewish holiday where we make paper chains and eat all our meals outside?
What’s the Jewish holiday where we dance with Israeli flags?

You get the idea.

I didn’t want her to feel deprived because we don’t celebrate Christmas. I didn’t want her to grow up feeling like Natalie Portman who told Jimmy Fallon how excited she is because she's going to have a Christmas tree in her home this year. In the interview, she said, “it’s kind of every Jew’s secret wish to have a Christmas tree.”

Yeah.

No it’s not.

I’m under the impression that most American families with strong Jewish identities dissociate themselves from Christmas as much as possible. Which is why it shocked me that Dennis Prager, whose work I generally admire, had this to say about the move to replace Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays, Christmas vacation with winter vacation and Christmas party with holiday party.

“Who is being excluded when one wishes someone ‘Merry Christmas’? Non-Christians? I’m a non-Christian. I’m a Jew. Christmas is not a religious holy day for me. But I’m an American, and Christmas is a national holiday in my country. It is therefore my holiday – though not my holy day – as much as it is for my fellow Americans who are Christian.”

I’m genuinely curious. If you’re an American Jew, do you consider Christmas your holiday as much as it is for your fellow Americans who are Christian?

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