We’ve been collecting a good list of holiday goings on, including some Christmas Eve services at local churches and New Year’s Eve dinners at all the great Wallingford restaurants (if you’ve got anything to add to the list, which we’ll be posting shortly, please leave it as a comment on our Holiday Haps post).
Given all the Christmas and New Year’s talk, it’s been noted that we haven’t mentioned Chanukah, which might seem odd given our decidedly Hebrew religious leanings, and that we’re in the midst of it (Chanukah runs sunset to sunset, Dec 11 – 19th this year).
Truth is, we’re just not down with what Chanukah has become.
Look, no offense meant to others, and with no intention of suggesting that those who don’t share our view are in any way wrong, but to us, Chanukah has always felt like the “Jewish Christmas”. Historically, Chanukah was a very minor holiday in Judaism and didn’t involve giving presents as part of its tradition. As Christmas rose in importance in America during the mid-20th century, American Jews looked for ways to assimilate their traditions into American mainstream culture and to appease their children…and the marketers of commercialism looked for ways to get Jews to participate in the frenzied buying of merchandise that marked the Christmas season. Modern Chanukah was born.
It’s a shame, in our opinion, as the traditional Chanukah is a beautiful story: an enslaved, oppressed people fight back to win their freedom. At the end of it all, when it seems the struggle was in vain, they simply do all they can, lighting a light they know will go out, and lo, they experience a miracle, and the light stays lit for seven days.
It’s not coincidence, by the way, that this Festival of Lights should be centered every year around the new moon of the month with the longest nights, the darkest nights of the year.
Maybe we’re being needlessly scrooge-like about the whole thing, but the purity of the holiday seems despoiled by the commercialism that has come to surround it: the crepe-paper menorah streamers, the Chanukah-specials in the stores, the obligatory dreidles in the store windows. Christmas is a fine holiday. Those who enjoy it should enjoy it. Why do we need to copy it or create our own version?
At one point, we felt strongly enough about this that we tried to create a diversionary holiday, a “Jewish Christmas” that people could celebrate that would distract them from the desecration of Chanukah. Thus Jewsmas was born. Maybe it’s time to resurrect that effort.
Or maybe we’re making a big deal out of nothing.
Do you think the original meaning of Christmas was to give gifts? Santa Claus was made red by Coca Cola. Come on! If you include any holidays in this blog it is only right to include them all. Your own personal issues should not play a role here. I call foul!
In the course of writing this post, I discovered that the “Coke invented the modern Santa image” story is an urban legend. Check it: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/cocacola.asp
Humph. Point made, but I still think it is hypocritical to purposefully ignore parts of Wallingford because they have Hanukkah happenings, where as your blog is meant to be inclusive and bring the community together. I guess that is as long as you are Christian.
OK, you’re right. Happy Chanukah!
Wallyhood, I like this type of personal interest piece alongside all the neighborhood happenings & talk of local businesses. And I appreciated your take on Chanukah. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Jewish person’s take on modern Chanukah before — though I’ve heard plenty of anti-commercialism Christmas sentiments (and generally choose to make Christmas about food, lights, warm winter drinks, and fun in my house). Anyway, happy Chanukah, J!
we can always celebrate Festivus and gather ’round the festivus pole!
So we do both at our house and in fact my daughter gets pretty excited to light the menorah. This year we bought DYI candles and made them together. But, I wasn’t sure it would be enough to keep her interest so I did get gifts. My feeling about the gifts is this, for both holidays, we buy almost nothing NEW all year round. 75% of our STUFF is second hand. This is the one time of year where we really splurge. We get most of our gifts from small businesses in the nabe. My husband owns a small business and we count on the extra business to help carry us through the drier times. The Jewish calender has a lot of other real HOLY DAYS to be spiritual with out the consumerism so I don’t feel too bad.
Good Gawd! Oh the drama! I am offended by your diatribe. Why attack Hanukkah for being commercial when Christmas is off the deep end in this regard. If you don’t like it, celebrate it in your own way. No need to criticize how others have chosen to celebrate. I grew up with Hanukkah and I learned about the religion and, yes, I appreciated getting presents. It’s tough growing up in a mostly christian society and having everyone wishing you a merry Christmas all the time and having to explain that you don’t celebrate Christmas and feeling like an outsider. Thanks for pissing on my candles!
The post made me kind of sad. I imagine that Hanukkah is special to a number of people just the way it is… people like children maybe?
Sorry to sadden and offend. I hope that one thing I made clear is that I’m not trying to take the holiday, as it was or what it’s become, away from those that enjoy it. What I described were my personal feelings about it. And for me, personally, menorah-themed wrapping paper saddens me.
You can’t just say “no offense intended” and then proceed to offend. It’s like saying, “With all due respect, you’re an idiot!” Funny how you’re not “down” with Chanukah but you cerainly seem to be down with Christmas. Better not offend any of the gentiles by pointing out how commercial Christmas is. Behind all the presents, there’s a beautiful story there too. If it’s commercialism you have a problem with, why not knock the Christian’s tradition too. I know I’m way, way in the minority but I have my family traditions that started before you were born — and yes they involve presents. I haven’t always agreed with what you say on this blog but I’ve respected your opinion. You’ve lost that respect along with my readership.
Well said Wallyhood,
I feel exactly the same way. Chanukah is not “Christmas Lite” and there are so many more important holidays for us to celebrate.
Personally, I go for Solstice as no one can deny the movement of the earth and sun and who in Seattle can’t be excited that we are going to get some light back. So go sparkly lights and candles, it helps me get through the dark winter.
Sorry to have lost you, Brian. I’m still not clear on why you feel offended though: If I had said you were wrong for feeling the way you did about these holidays, or told you that you should change the way you celebrate, I’d agree that what I was saying was offensive. As is, I shared with you how I felt about it, and was explicit that that was the limit of my comments (“with no intention of suggesting that those who don’t share our view are in any way wrong”).
As for coming down on Christmas, it sounds like you’re saying you would have felt more kindly to what I was saying if I explicitly complained about Christmas. That can’t be what you meant. I do think there’s a difference between criticizing one’s own culture’s traditions and another culture’s.
Again, sorry to have lost you. Come back some day if you change your mind.
Wow, that Brian sure got worked up. I wasn’t offended, I’ve celebrated at least 3 Chanukahs in Israel and no big deal is made there. The big deal here is to compete w/ X-mas. I didn’t take offense at what Wallyhood wrote, he was expressing his feelings and not pushing it on anyone.