I grew up Jew-ish; both my parents were Jews by blood, but we weren’t very religious. So when I was a kid, we only celebrated a few Jewish holidays a year: Hanukkah, Passover, and Rosh Hashana.
As a kid, however, Hanukkah was always my favorite. What kid wouldn’t like eight nights of gifts, eating mounds of chocolate coins, and stuffing greasy potato pancakes in her mouth by the dozen?
However, despite all the fun Hanukkah brings, most Jewish kids I knew felt they were missing out on traditions Christian kids were able to experience during the holiday season. Waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney, decking out a tree, stuffing stockings, and decorating gingerbread houses are all bypassed by most Jewish families.
Lucky for me, my mom grew up with a liking for the multi-religious traditions during the holiday season, despite her Jewish roots. I was raised with the kitschy joys of both Christmas and Hanukkah — Chrismukkah if you will.
This meant that while I was enjoying my chocolate coins I was also enjoying decorating gingerbread houses; for the eight crazy nights I spent celebrating Hanukkah — lighting candles, spinning dreidels, and opening presents — I was rewarded with yet another night of Christmas activities.
When I started watching “The OC” my senior year of high school, I was amazed to see my experience growing up was not a lonely one. As cultural Jews but Christmas lovers, Seth Cohen and I both had similar experiences growing up with not just Christmas or Hanukkah, but Chrismukkah, the absolute best holiday you could imagine. This not only reinforced my love for Seth Cohen as a fictional television character, but it also undoubtedly reinforced my love for Chrismukkah itself.
Unfortunately, Chrismukkah can be more rare than you might think, especially when the Jewish calendar does not align with the Gregorian calendar. Just three years ago, in 2013, Hanukkah actually aligned with Thanksgiving for the first time since 1888. This meant Chrismukkah did not exist the same way that year: It was more of Thanksgivukkah with Christmas all alone a month later.
All of us Chrismukkah lovers were blessed to have all of our old traditions back the following years, when Hanukkah and Christmas landed in closer proximities. Luckily, this year is a perfect year for Chrismukkah-ians because Hanukkah begins on Christmas Eve.
So get ready to pull out your menorahs and your stockings, your yamakas and your Christmas sweaters. Get ready to invite all your Jewish and Christian friends over for the holiday, and get your Chrismukkah cards ready to mail out. Join me in celebrating the best holiday invented to date: Chrismukkah.
Reach Opinion Editor Rebecca Gross at specials@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
