Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I was born in 1957. The first couple of Christmases I remember, 1962 and 1963 were capped by an evening party at my uncle and aunt's apartment in the Silk Stocking district of New York City. I remember most the sunken living room, and getting a second round of gifts. Since they had no children I started to wonder, at age six, how Santa Claus left gifts for me at two places.
My parents had a plastic Christmas tree that they set up in the living room. When I started Hebrew School in 5728, Fall 1967, I became immediately uncomfortable with this practice, and asked that it not continue.I don't recall whether it did or not. I was never particularly into gifts or gift-giving. I will admit to asking for and getting, during the gift-giving season of Christmas 1971 a copy of the three-disc Concert for Bangla Desh. I reasoned that I was doing something for the poor people and was bitterly upset when reading, the following spring/summer that the proceeds were grifted and grafted away.
My views were evolving towards my current thinking, that Christmas is a joyous American holiday, of which we can partake as full Americans, even if we don't adopt religious symbolism.
The following winter, 1972, as my father was dying of his terminal illness at New Rochelle Hospital, playing the seasonal concerts at the High School and outdoors at Village Hall. I remember playing in a Gabrielli piece at the sectional performance at the high school. I am listening to some Gabrielli right now, as I write. The Village Hall concert was played on December 17, 1972 in the 17° chill, with frozen tuba valves.
The pattern since has been to thoroughly partake in the seasonal joy of an American holiday, with a day off from work. Hanukah, to me, is a celebration of a military victory, important mostly by its juxtaposition to Gentile holidays. Hanukah, like Christmas, is where it is on the calendar to celebrate the winter solstice, when things start brightening. Religious observances, I reserve for my Jewish holidays.
We live in America and so it is impossible to ignore the national holiday that is Christmas. I don't think that I want to ignore it, anyway. Any holiday that is meant to promote peace and kindness to others makes for a good day, regardless of differences in religious belief. We Jews just approach the day in our own way.
Each year, my Jewish congregation approaches the day in this way: We get together as a group (it will be this morning at 11:00, in fact) and we assemble goodie baskets that we will be delivering later today to the First Responders of our community.
We acknowledge that most of these First Responders are Gentiles, due to the fact that we ourselves are a Jewish minority in the community. We also acknowledge that our Gentile neighbors who are First Responders will be sacrificing their own special day of rest and peace with their families should a call go out for someone in need of help in the community.
And so, in appreciation of what they do, and how doing this on their sacred holiday of Christmas so closely mirrors our own Jewish concept of pikuach nefesh, we honor and celebrate our First Responders.
We acknowledge that most of these First Responders are Gentiles, due to the fact that we ourselves are a Jewish minority in the community. We also acknowledge that our Gentile neighbors who are First Responders will be sacrificing their own special day of rest and peace with their families should a call go out for someone in need of help in the community.
And so, in appreciation of what they do, and how doing this on their sacred holiday of Christmas so closely mirrors our own Jewish concept of pikuach nefesh, we honor and celebrate our First Responders.
One of my friends, who is a doctor attending to the physical health needs of mental hospital patients, takes an "on duty" shift on all Christmases to fill in for his Gentile colleagues. That is his way of giving back. Up here in Westchester we are having a form of a "White Christmas Eve." We got a bit under an inch of snow has night, which unfortunately will be gone tomorrow.
We are having Chinese food for lunch or dinner tomorrow and I may take myself and whoever wants to come to see West Side Story. I suppose, in our way, a very Jewish Christmas. Happy Holidays to all, however you choose to spend it.
One of my favorite books that I read every year to my son was, There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein. It is the perfect way to capture being able to celebrate the good that is Christmas especially as a kid, without feeling guilty .
Our family tradition was to drive around the neighborhoods Christmas Eve and ooh and aaah at all the decorations.
Ironically, my son thinks that Chanukah is a mostly made up holiday to soften the edges for kids around the deluge of the Christmas season. He's married to a gentile but they are more secular than anything although he's promised me if they have kids, they'll raise them as Jews, which of course makes me deliriously happy . Sometimes they get a tree, more often they don't, including this year .
I posted this video on my FB page yesterday. Captures the joy and peace we all hope for the world, regardless of faith.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Hannah, beautiful post and posting of that song. I had not heard that before but it's a keeper.
Thank you! I had never heard it before either! How is that possible? One of my favorite alternative rock and roll stations was playing it (WXPN out of UPenn), so I looked it up. Definitely a keeper.
I took advantage of Christmas Day (this year) to fly home after visiting relatives as the flights tend to be emptier on that day (especially early morning and evening flights)! This isn't the first time I have flown on Christmas Day (although when I did it years ago I was going somewhere rather than returning home!).
I had planned (when Shabbos ended) to have a meal out and then go to the movies to see Sing 2. But I found out that I had been exposed to someone with Covid on Friday.
I'm fine and I'm not required to quarantine because I'm fully vaccinated with a booster. But I stayed home anyway, just in case I might pass it along to someone else. In a few days I can get the rapid test to determine whether or not I'm carrying the virus. I'm most likely not carrying it.
So last night I watched WolfWalkers (2021 Academy Award nominated animated movie loosely based on medieval Irish legend) online (AppleTV), and enjoyed it immensely.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
. Sometimes they get a tree, more often they don't, including this year 
