In elementary school, I always wondered why people were listening to Christmas music instead of spinning the dreidel, or why they were eating candy canes instead of latkes. Every year, my living room window displays a lit menorah with our Christmas tree behind it. Observing Christmas and Hanukkah was always how my December went: watch the Polar Express, eat a latke.
Celebrating Christmukkah (a phrase coined by the O.C.‘s Seth Cohen) is an art. You have to have just the right amount of Christmas and Hanukkah mixed into your December.
First of all, you have to settle the issue of presents. Eight days of gifts on top of Christmas presents on top of stocking stuffers is a lot — especially if Christmas and Hanukkah overlap. One thing you can do is find a time during one of the eight nights of Hanukkah to celebrate with your family and exchange your big present then. The first seven nights usually include gifts similar to what you would receive in your stocking on Christmas, anyways.
Christmukkah is especially tasty in the kitchen – there are so many options! Candy cane cookies and ginger bread houses are typical for Christmas, but you can also find cookie cutters of dreidels and Jewish stars. The best is when you’re making Hanukkah cookies while listening to Christmas music. It makes for quite the multi-cultural kitchen!
Christmukkah is sometimes the most meaningful Christmas and Hanukkah overlap. Then, you can bring the menorah to Christmas dinner and light it before you feast. It can be so special not only combining the holidays, but combining both sides of your family – especially when the non-Jewish side of your family doesn’t know the words to the Hanukkah blessing and you watch them fumble around with the Hebrew words.
Movie-watching is the only aspect of Christmukkah that is unequal. Good Hanukkah movies just don’t really exist (except for A Rugrat’s Hanukkah…that’s a classic.) I mean, it’s not called ABC’s 25 Days of Hanukkah. So, you just have to accept that Christmas movies are better and enjoy watching Elf, Santa Claus, Santa Claus 2 and Home Alone to no end.
In my opinion, Christmukkah should become a national holiday (thanks, Seth Cohen.) Obviously not everyone has to observe the religious aspects of Hanukkah like lighting the menorah or singing the blessing, but anyone can enjoy a friendly game of dreidel or a delicious helping of latkes with applesauce. Christmukkah is probably the easiest holiday to celebrate — and it’s tasty too!