Merry Christmas, Baby
So....
A nice Jewish boy, I sit here in my office on December 24, sipping from a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha in a red and green cup. Meanwhile, Brenda Lee sings in the background about everyone "dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way." Bruce Springsteen just got finished warbling about what he "just wants to say," and next, Burl Ives will wish us a holly and jolly Christmas, "the best time of the year." (Thanks, Napster.)
Meanwhile, I walked down the hallway to get to my office past several strings of Christmas lights and a tree in the middle of the hallway, and I don't mind. Tonight, Raya and I will fill mugs with hot chocolate, and drive around to ooh and ahh at the Christmas decorations, some tasteful, many tacky. (Hopefully, no more Christmas carnage!)
Should I feel guilty about this? I mean, I grew up with Christmas, and there are parts of it that I still enjoy -- the music, the food, the decorations. Some Jews would insist that we should have nothing to do with this holiday; after all, it's not our celebration, and the religious part of it certainly doesn't appeal to me.
But the secular part of it, those items which are "Xmas" instead of "Christ-mas" do appeal to me. I like the music. I like singing along with "please have snow, and mistletoe, and presents on the tree...."
Chanukah gets amplified in our society, because of its calendar proximity to Christmas. In Israel, Chanukah is not nearly such a big deal. In fact, it's quite ridiculous that Chanukah is the most well-known Jewish holiday in America. Religiously, the High Holidays, Pesach, Purim, and Sukkot are all much more significant.
Chanukah gives us something to celebrate this time of year, and I'll take any excuse to exchange presents with Raya. But, is my appreciation for Chanukah, or my dedication to Judaism even, somehow lessened because I like Xmas?
I don't think so, and that's why I refuse to feel guilty about it. Some of my affection for yuletide items stems from the fact that I celebrated Xmas for twenty-some years, and it's hard to let go of childhood attachments. But I think it's more than that.
Our very own rabbi, who's never had a Christmas tree, never had a stocking, never waited up for Santa Claus, has admitted that he enjoys the music and trappings of the season.
It's just a cheerful, friendly time of year (unless you're at the mall today, in which case all bets are off!). I'm strongly in favor of anything that makes our cynical, pessimistic, grumpy populace a little less so.
Besides, if you don't like the Elvis song "Blue Christmas," his backup singers chanting "woo-ooo-oooo-ooo-ooo" in the background, there's something seriously wrong with you.
Merry Xmas!!
A nice Jewish boy, I sit here in my office on December 24, sipping from a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha in a red and green cup. Meanwhile, Brenda Lee sings in the background about everyone "dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way." Bruce Springsteen just got finished warbling about what he "just wants to say," and next, Burl Ives will wish us a holly and jolly Christmas, "the best time of the year." (Thanks, Napster.)
Meanwhile, I walked down the hallway to get to my office past several strings of Christmas lights and a tree in the middle of the hallway, and I don't mind. Tonight, Raya and I will fill mugs with hot chocolate, and drive around to ooh and ahh at the Christmas decorations, some tasteful, many tacky. (Hopefully, no more Christmas carnage!)
Should I feel guilty about this? I mean, I grew up with Christmas, and there are parts of it that I still enjoy -- the music, the food, the decorations. Some Jews would insist that we should have nothing to do with this holiday; after all, it's not our celebration, and the religious part of it certainly doesn't appeal to me.
But the secular part of it, those items which are "Xmas" instead of "Christ-mas" do appeal to me. I like the music. I like singing along with "please have snow, and mistletoe, and presents on the tree...."
Chanukah gets amplified in our society, because of its calendar proximity to Christmas. In Israel, Chanukah is not nearly such a big deal. In fact, it's quite ridiculous that Chanukah is the most well-known Jewish holiday in America. Religiously, the High Holidays, Pesach, Purim, and Sukkot are all much more significant.
Chanukah gives us something to celebrate this time of year, and I'll take any excuse to exchange presents with Raya. But, is my appreciation for Chanukah, or my dedication to Judaism even, somehow lessened because I like Xmas?
I don't think so, and that's why I refuse to feel guilty about it. Some of my affection for yuletide items stems from the fact that I celebrated Xmas for twenty-some years, and it's hard to let go of childhood attachments. But I think it's more than that.
Our very own rabbi, who's never had a Christmas tree, never had a stocking, never waited up for Santa Claus, has admitted that he enjoys the music and trappings of the season.
It's just a cheerful, friendly time of year (unless you're at the mall today, in which case all bets are off!). I'm strongly in favor of anything that makes our cynical, pessimistic, grumpy populace a little less so.
Besides, if you don't like the Elvis song "Blue Christmas," his backup singers chanting "woo-ooo-oooo-ooo-ooo" in the background, there's something seriously wrong with you.
Merry Xmas!!
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